Glen Norcliffe | Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change

Professor Emeritus

Credentials

BA Geography, University of Cambridge (1965)
MA Geography, University of Toronto (1967)
PhD Geography, University of Bristol (1970)
DSc Geography, University of Bristol (2006)

Research Keywords

Diverse geographies of industry; (De)globalization; Geographical construction of technology (especially bicycles for disabled persons); Performance of the economy in various geographical settings.

Contact Information

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J1P3

416 736 5107

416 736 5988

gnorclif@yorku.ca

https://gnorclif.info.yorku.ca/

Research Interests

My research is focused on the diverse geographies of industry and of their (de)globalization: most recently examining the industrialization and monetization of sport (hockey’s Global Player Production Networks being the chosen case study); the geographical construction of technology (especially bicycles). The next stage of this research is to examine the cycling technologies being developed for persons with disability, their location, and the methods of production; and the performance of the economy in various geographical settings, including sports events and trade shows.

Research Projects

I am starting to look at velomobility, and specifically the development of cycling technologies that increase the mobility of disabled persons. Themes include the interplay of users, engineers and new materials in developing new designs/technologies; the production and location of these makers; their supply networks and delivery systems; and the ways new designs advance the mobility of persons with various impairments.
I have had a long-standing interest in the extractive economies of peripheral regions, and the new forms of extraction that are emerging as globalization undergoes a partial reversal under autarky.
The iconography of industry continues to drive my focus on representational art.

The globalization of industrial sport. Aspects examined include the formation of global player production networks for hockey. Case studies include: the new geography of elite player production in British Columbia; the global networks of the NHL; and links between China and Canada in developing the Chinese hockey teams for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Research Output

2022 Glen Norcliffe, Ron Buliung, Annika Kruse and John Radford: “Disability and cycling technology: A socio-historical analysis.” Disability Studies Quarterly, Vol. 42(1). https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/8276/7609

2022 Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco The Routledge Companion to Cycling. (Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge Publishing)

2022 Glen Norcliffe: “Introduction”, in The Routledge Companion to Cycling, edited by Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Publishing) pp.1-10.

2022 Ron Buliung, Annika Kruse, Glen Norcliffe, John Radford. “Cycling technologies and disability”, chapter 13 in The Routledge Companion to Cycling, edited by Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Publishing) pp.140-148.

2022 Glen Norcliffe: “The cycling economy: an introduction” in The Routledge Companion to Cycling, edited by Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Publishing) pp.149-152.

2022 Glen Norcliffe and Boyang Gao: “The global bicycle industry”, chapter 14 in The Routledge Companion to Cycling, edited by Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Publishing) pp.153-162.

2022 Michael Andreae and Glen Norcliffe: “Bicycle trade shows as transactional spaces.” Chapter 16 in The Routledge Companion to Cycling, edited by Glen Norcliffe, Una Brogan, Peter Cox, Boyang Gao, Tony Hadland, Sheila Hanlon, Tim Jones, Nicholas Oddy, and Luis Vivanco (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Publishing) pp.172-180.

2022 Glen Norcliffe and Stefan Decosse: “Global player production networks: gaining value in the National Hockey League.” Geoforum, Vol.136(1), 101-111.

Recognition & Awards

Distinguished Alumnus Award, Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 2022
D.Sc. University of Bristol, 2006
Award for Scholarly Distinction in Geography, Canadian Association of Geographers, 2003