ABSTRACT
French geography cannot be both social and cultural. It is either one or the other, but not both at the same time. This specificity stems from the configuration of currents of thought—‘schools’ of geography—which link up neatly with political divisions, notably the right–left split which still has considerable impact in France today. It is true that in the 1990s the distinctions became noticeably blurred with the rise of a generation which seemed to be freer in its movements, yet may be also less committed. The paper which follows seeks to describe this configuration of a discipline which, over the past thirty years, has settled around a few academic poles. The paper will also address the contributions of those—both academics and researchers—who seem to be evolving as ‘free electrons’, making the task of situating knowledge within clearly identified schools difficult.
