In Memoriam: Roser Majoral

Roser Majoral Moliné, a long-standing member of 
Fennia Editorial Advisory Board and Professor with 
Análisis Geográfico Regional de la Universidad de 
Barcelona, passed away on 7 November 2005 in 
Barcelona, having to finally give up the battle with 
a deadly cancer. With the death of Roser, geogra-
phy worldwide, and above all within the Catalan 
and Spanish community, lost a dominating scholar, 
an enthusiastic teacher and a great colleague.

Roser Majoral received the master’s degree in 
geography and history at the University of Barce-
lona in 1971. On the same year, she obtained an 
assistant lectureship with the recently established 
Department of Geography. Her doctoral thesis 
from 1977 was methodologically and thematically 
a pioneering work that turned on the evolution of 
agricultural land use in Catalonia. She obtained a 
full tenure in 1984, and was appointed Professor 
in 1989.

Roser published numerous studies, articles and 
books related to rural and upland environments, 
and she also broadened her interest to agrarian ge-
ography, marginal lands and development issues. 
The latter ones formed an important sector of her 
teaching, which was strongly inspired by her close 
connections to the Indian subcontinent.

In addition to her outstanding research and in-
novative teaching activities, Roser dedicated much 

of her time in management and administration. 
She was the Head of the Department of Physical 
Geography and Regional Geography between 
1990 and 1994, and her role was invaluable in 
promoting and co-ordinating the Research Group 
of Territorial Analysis and Regional Development 
serving the Catalan Government from 1998 on-
wards. The contribution and work of Roser in nu-
merous posts with the International Geographical 
Union were highly appreciated. From 1984 to 
1988 she was a full member of the IGU Working 
Group on Development in Highlands and High-
Latitude Zones. Between 1988 and 1992 she was 
a Full Member of the Commission dedicated to re-
search on the Dynamics of Rural Systems, and 
1992–96 she was the President of the Working 
Group on Development Issues in Marginal Re-
gions, to mention a few.

Roser’s enthusiasm and desire to learn more 
about our world never ceded. She continued to 
lead as normal life as possible and work despite 
the advancing illness, and she visited her Depart-
ment frequently making plans of future endeav-
ours. Her services for the Finnish Geographical 
Society and its journal Fennia are highly appreci-
ated, and her commitment and strength will al-
ways remain in our memories.

Jukka Käyhkö