Ein Blick von außen. Anmerkungen zu Steinbrink et al. “Netzwerk(analys)e in der deutschen Humangeographie”
Steinbrink et al.’s analysis of various knowledge networks in German Human geography offers fascinating glimpses into the structure of the subfield. We identify two potential problems, and one point of departure for further research. First, Steinbrink et al. limit their analysis to tenured professors, who are not necessarily representative for the the discipline as a whole. Therefore, their results may be biased. Second, they focus on publications in German journals. Without further information, we cannot know whether people who appear to be outsiders within this subnetwork are in fact well integrated once the global network of international journals in considered. Third, the charms of Social Network Analysis are sometimes too seducive. While snapshot studies such as the one by Steinbrink et al. provide intriguing insights, future work should be complemented by explicitly comparative perspectives and a first principles approach to „optimal“ structures for knowledge networks.