On Thursday the 30th of September, the School of Anthropology and Conservation based society, Ecogeog Soc, hosted a distinguished lecture.
This talk given by, Professor Jason Dittmer of University College London, was based on The Geopolitics of Subterranean Gibraltar.
Topics such as the hollowing out of the rock of Gibraltar, what purpose it originally served, and what purpose it serves today were discussed.
Originally, the rock of Gibraltar was hollowed out to allow Arsenal to be stored and utilised there against the Spanish. Fast forward to World War One and Two and the hollowing out of the rock served as headquarters to launch assaults in North Africa and to have a safe haven which if bombed would be unscathed.
However, after a report was carried out on the usefulness of the hollowed out mountain in the 1960’s it was deemed that the rock would not support a nuclear atomic bomb. This meant the usefulness of the mountain was worthless post World War Two.
In the modern reality the mountain has proved useful as a secure data centre and wine cellar!
As much as the information that Professor Dittmer provided was rather interesting, the question remains, who is Professor Jason Dittmer?
Professor Jason Dittmer is the head of geography at University College of London. His academic journey started in America in 1998 where he gained a Bachelor of Arts at Jacksonville University. This was followed up on in 2003 when Jason became a Doctor of Philosophy at Florida State University. Then more recently, in 2009, he gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education from University College London.
To be involved in future guest lectures like this make sure to follow EcoGeog Soc on all social media handles and keep an eye on what EcoGoeg Soc and the School of Anthropology and Conservation is posting.
If you wish to watch this lecture, make sure to follow the School of Anthropology and Conservation on YouTube, where it will be posted in the coming weeks.