The Associazione dei Geografi Italiani is the youngest of the geographical associations in Italy: it came into being relatively recently, in 1978, and celebrated its first jubilee last year. However, its origins can be traced considerably further back in time. Previously, in fact, the interests of geographers working in Italy’s universities had been furthered by the Comitato dei Geografi Italiani (Co.Ge.I.), founded in 1967 and whose members were full professors in the geographical disciplines.
The association is open to all geographers working in various professional capacities at the country’s universities and took on the professional development of its members, the defence of the discipline within Italian academe, its promotion, both in Italy and abroad, and the organization of scientific meetings.
The principal task of the association is organization of the Italian Geographical Congresses, organized with the same four-year intervals as the international ones.
Annually, except in years when the association holds its Congresses, are, as well, organized the Giornate della Geografia, seminars intended to prompt reflection on themes of outstanding interest and to present the results of the association’s work groups. In fact, the association promotes research by supporting the formation of study groups and encouraging the international exchange of ideas.
It also ran fieldwork days in specific territorial areas: these inter-university excursions took the form of itinerant visits to regional areas and concentrated in particular on those most marginal to large-scale tourism.
The association also mounts various initiatives to develop relationships among its members – a purpose well served, for example, by the editing and updating of the Repertorio dei dipartimenti e insegnamenti di discipline geografiche nelle Università italiane (Directory of Italian University Geography Departments and Courses) and the Indirizzario dei docenti (List of Geography Lecturer Addresses).
President: Professor Franco Farinelli (University of Bologna) franco.farinelli@unibo.it
Publications
GEOTEMA
Published uninterruptedly since 1995, it takes the form of monographic issues on themes of particular importance and subjected to specific research carried out by AGEI groups comprising scholars working at national level and in Italian academic institutions. The journal consists only of scientific articles.
Three issues published a year