Geography and Feminism: Worlds in Collision?

Geography and feminism are two powerful intellectual forces at large today. Are they forces that can communicate effectively with each other to build a richer understanding of life on earth or are they two alien worlds in collision? I explore three core analytic traditions that I see as common to geography and feminism: finding significance in everyday life, appreciating the importance of context, and thinking about difference. With examples from local labor market studies, I then illustrate how the collision between geography and feminism has not ignited a destructive explosion but instead has illuminated how we think about gender, how we think about place, and how we think about work. I argue that because geography and feminism share certain intellectual traditions, the two areas of inquiry should, once they begin to open up to and learn from each other, not only transform each other but also contribute powerful new insights about the world.