The pedagogy of autobiography in the history of geographic thought

This reflection on Arild Holt-Jensen's lecture "Transformations in the discipline of geography experienced over 60 years by a Norwegian geographer" contemplates the mechanisms by which autobiographical writing enhanced the pedagogical value of textbooks. By recalling Anne Buttimer's and Torsten Hägerstrand's International Dialogue Project (1977-1988), it is argued that Holt-Jensen's approach has the same pedagogical potential as the International Dialogue project had for an earlier generation of geographers. As such, this contribution appreciates the contributions of humanist geographical tradition to geographical communication and pedagogy.