HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHICAL THOUGHT

HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHICAL THOUGHT DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY: "to describe and explain the world"      look at world from outside oneself; detached perspective observe and evaluate what we see - long history geographical history rooted in ancient use of maps, but ... capacity to observe and evaluate underlies map-making - has been essential to our survival & evolution perception also v. imp. CLASSICAL PERIOD      Western tradition rooted in ancient Greece - e.g., Strabo (64 B.C. 20 A.D.) - produced first encyclopedia - summary of Greek knowledge to that time Greeks v. interested in relationships between/ different places - studied place from different scale perspectives also interested in relationships between/ people and places Romans different - primarily interested in geography as tool to expand empire; - much less scholarly approach collapse of Roman empire >> general decline in pursuit of knowledge until Renaissance - however, only in West - rich tradition in Chinese geographical thinking from at least 500 B.C. also, emergence of Islam (7th C) >> exception to void in rest of Europe and Middle East Europe during Middle Ages: widespread illiteracy, superstition, people very narrowminded and parochial influence of Islam: rich & vibrant civilization in Arabian countries - previously rival, barbaric tribes united under leadership of Muhammad to form one nation - political stability >> social (intellectual) development largely unknown in West China: longest lasting civilization - from at least 2000 B.C.      AGE OF EXPLORATION AND EUROPEAN EXPANSION       Western knowledge of world very limited until 15th C by end of 18th C, world as we know it today fairly well mapped out 300-year period coincides with Scientific Revolution and "Age of Enlightenment" - Europe experiences explosion in knowledge, discovery, and inventions results in major changes to maps of world - major errors corrected - e.g., Ptolemy (map on p. 11) major shift in thinking of people practicing geography Varenius(1622 - 50): "tree of knowledge" - holistic approach to acquisition of knowledge - not categorized in disciplines we know today   Immanuel Kant(1724 - 1804): better known today as philosopher - distinction between/ history and geography Alexander von Humboldt(1769 - 1859) & Carl Ritter(1779 - 1859) - influential in establishing geography at universities in Germany - explored relationship between/ humans & land, not just land ** imp. perspective: unity of humans with nature INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF GEOGRAPHY     1874: formal est. of departments of geography by Prussian government - pressure on academics to mark geographer's territory out as distinct from other academic disciplines - v. difficult Friedrich Ratzel(1844 - 1904): "anthropogeography" - influence of physical geography on human activity - v. influential >> environmental determinism Élisée Reclus(1830 - 1905): followed Ritter tradition - study places and people in them in integrated fashion - "secret harmony" between Earth and humanity Peter Kropotkin(1842 - 1921): Russian prince - nature is humanity's "first ethical teacher" ; substitute for religion - v. anti-religious, but v. sensitive to spirituality and art, esp. poetry - more popular today than during own life both politically unpopular at time - faced persecution & exile - v. vocal about moral lessons to be learned from nature; contrary to ethics of their time - role of geographer (or any scientist) goes beyond academic pursuits; must include aspect of normative contribution to world Paul Vidal de la Blache(1845 - 1918): Ritter >> Ratzel tradition George Perkins Marsh(1801 - 1882): Man & Nature - contrast to Reclus & other "Romantics" - many clear distinctions between/ humans and nature - important to recognize humanity's greater capacity for destruction & thus, greater responsibility - "civilized" vs. "primitive" impacts on nature - v. important historical watershed - also marks shift from Europe (Germany) to North America 1903: est. of first geography dept. in N.A. at U. of Chicago     GEOGRAPHY THIS CENTURY 5 dominant themes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Environmental determinism Human/land relationship Regional approaches Spatial analysis Humanism 1. Environmental Determinism  origins in Ratzel; developed in NA by Ellen Churchill Semple (1863 - 1932)   relatively short-lived, confined to early 20th C, but very influential at time human action dictated/determined by physical environment 2. Human/Land Relationship    long-standing tradition in geography developed primarily by Vidal de la Blache and later in U.S. by Carl Sauer (1889 1975) sharp distinction from environmental determinism in that humans perceived to have choices 3. Regional Approaches     British geographers in 19th century and later articulated by Richard Hartshorne (1899 - 1992) The Nature of Geography (1932) - very influential text geography as a science, i.e., focus on specific regions and how they differ from each other profound impact on how geography practiced in U.S. distinctly contrasted with Sauer. s approach, which was more holistic 4. Spatial Analysis  emerged in 1950s - reaction to regional approach of description to more analytical and explanatory methods >> quantitative revolution - 1960s = development of theories based on empirical studies using principle tools of empirical, positivistic research 5. Humanistic Revolution: 1970s >>     reaction to dominance of quantitative approaches reintroduction of human being back into analysis role of individual awareness of non-tangibles, immeasurable