An overview of the evolution of Spanish geography (1992-2022)

Resumen

Spanish geography has registered significant changes in the last threedecades that have affected teaching, research and social consideration of the discipline.New educational programs (bachelor’s degrees, master’s and doctorates) have beenlaunched within the framework of the reforms developed (LRU, Bologna Declaration)on university education that have guided training, in most Spanish geographydepartments, towards the applied aspect (spatial planning). The master’s studies haveallowed a specialization of geographic studies in different topics (spatial planning, SIG,landscape analysis, the environment and sustainability, natural risks, economic changes,demographic processes). Doctoral works have also evolved from monographic theseswith a classical structure towards memoirs compiled from research articles published inhigh-impact journals. In research, new lines of work have been developed in the heat ofcurrents from the international sphere or have been promoted as their own themesanimated from Spanish geography and that respond to demands for research orapplication of the discipline. The reports on Spanish geographic research developedwithin the Spanish Geography Association and the analysis of the content ofpublications and activities carried out by other geographical entities in our country (RoyalGeographical Society, Catalan Society of Geography) provide an overview of theevolution of research in geography, which has become, in general terms, morecollaborative (larger teams and multidisciplinary participation) and thematically morespecialized. Finally, the discipline has gained in social consideration due to thedevelopment of applied work demanded by the administration or the company, theparticipation of geography in current social debates and its projection in the media. Sothat Spanish geography, in 2022, is a dynamic, modern discipline with internationalprojection that works for a constant improvement of its participation in the educationalsystem (non-university and university), of its consideration in state or regional researchprograms, and its prestige as a science of social utility