Development of Czech feminist and queer geographies: identifying barriers, seeking progress.

In this contribution we discuss the obstacles and share our opinions about the causes of delayed development of feminist and queer approaches in Czech and to some extent also Slovak human geographies. We primarily focus on a critical description of causes and factors that affected and continue to hinder their presence within local mainstream geographical thought. Among the most pressing problems, we identify the historically conditioned isolation of local geography from the 'Western' developments, the continued conservativism of the mainstream geographers, and we attempt to open up a discussion about several types of 'disciplinary anxieties' that may perpetuate these problems. Further, we stress the continued shared development of the Czech and Slovak geographies and contextualize it within recent advancements in other neighboring countries where scholars also 'fight for recognition'. Our contribution concludes with a call for intensification of cooperation and networking within (and outside of) the Central and Eastern European region which we believe is a crucial factor required for building up vibrant feminist and queer geographies with both local and international recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]