Spotlight on...Jamie Doucette

Dr Jamie Doucette is a Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Environment, Education and Development. In this week’s Spotlight On…feature he talks about his role, 125 years of Geography at Manchester, and what he most enjoys about his job.

 What is the most important piece of work you’ve been involved in since the start of the new academic year? 

I was recently invited to present at a workshop organised by South Korea’s new liberal President Moon Jae-in’s transition team and several ministries to speak about institutionalising the gains of the ‘candlelight revolution.’ For a long time now, I’ve been writing about the frustrations of South Korean democratisation – the efforts of reformers to institutionalise ‘economic democracy’, the resurgence of authoritarian-era politicians, economic engagement with North Korea, expansion of non-standard employment – and more recently about politics under President Park Geun-hye who was impeached last year after months of mass candlelight protests. I’ve been closely following what becomes of ‘Candlelight Democracy’ under Moon. How will his administration address problems encountered by past liberal administrations? Will there be substantive progress with the North? The stakes seem high.   

Can you tell us a little more about the 125 years of Geography at Manchester Anniversary? 

Yes, Manchester Geography is 125! To commemorate the department’s venerable history, we’ve had a series of keynote talks by geographers associated with the department in some way or other throughout the fall. I came to the UK from Canada over five years ago in part because I had long admired Manchester geography from afar. The ‘Manchester School’ of economic geography impressed me, not to mention the influence upon it of other social sciences here at Manchester. The highlight of the 125 events for me was the economic geography lecture by Henry Yeung (NUS), which was followed by dinner with several generations of Manchester economic geographers. 

What do you most enjoy about your job? 

I cherish those times when I can have an optimal balance between teaching and research: just enough time to lose yourself in a process of discovery, combined with just enough teaching to be forced to explain the ideas, data, and problems you are working with to students who might not know anything about them. I also love those moments when students come to a sense of newfound awareness on issues of social justice based on their own original research and application of ideas learned in class. 

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given, and how did it help you? 

I did my undergraduate thesis with the late, great Berkeley geographer Allan Pred as an Anthropology exchange student visiting from the University of British Columbia! He thought fondly of my dissertation proposal and agreed to supervise me. Upon asking him if transgressing disciplinary boundaries was a problem, he replied: "You are here to get an education not a degree." I always took that as an injunction that one should follow their curiosity and ignore disciplinary boundaries if need be. While that might not be good REF advice, I particularly value some of the forays I’ve made over the years into heterodox economics, Asian studies, and political science and particularly the new ideas and friendships it has helped facilitate.