Donald W. Meinig's Southwest at Half-Century, a Reflection and Appreciation

ABSTRACT:Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical Change, 1600–1970, published by D. W. Meinig, is one in a series of monographs about regions of the American West. The short but comprehensive book gained wide appeal among historians as well as historical and cultural geographers, both as a research synthesis and a popular text in college-level courses. Remarkably, the book remains in print today—fifty years on—under its original publisher, Oxford University Press. This article stems from a special session presented to the Eighty-Third annual meeting of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers in San Diego, California, on October 15, 2021. It brings together a group of geographers, including some of Meinig's former students as well as admirers of Meinigian regional geography. Participants reflect on their relationships with Meinig, their experiences with Southwest, and how this small but influential work shaped their geographical perspectives.