Proximity, acceptance and hopeful ontologies

This commentary considers how we might define a classic paper and suggests that ‘Not at our seaside’ helpfully challenges the grounds on which we confer status onto papers in the modern academy. Particular attention is given in this commentary to the role of ‘Not at our seaside’ in pre‐empting geographical work on the spatial and cultural ‘othering’ of nature. The commentary concludes by reflecting on the positive ontologies of Philo's paper and its insights into what a more socially tolerant and environmentally literate world may involve.