Themes In Geographic Thought Routledge Revivals

Themes in Geographic Thought, first published in 1981, explores in breadth and depth the interrelationships among the history of Geography, geographic thought, and methodology, specifically focusing on the interactions between geographical research and various contemporary philosophical schools: positivism, pragmatism, functionalism, phenomenology, existentialism, idealism, realism and Marxism. An attempt is made to synthesise Geography’s historically rich tradition with the current diversity in approaches to the discipline, based on the belief that ‘geographic thought’, at any point in time, is a manifestation of the mutual influence between the prevailing philosophical viewpoints and the major methodological approaches in vogue. Each chapter presents an overview of the concrete ideas of a particular school of philosophy and stresses its relevance and impact on various aspects of Geography.

Since the 1970s, the field of political geography has undergone a significant transformation, where new methodologies have been implemented to investigate the exercise of the power of the state within the urban environment. First published in 1985, the essays in this collection addressed the growing need to assess the academic revisions that had been taking place and provide a reference point for future developments in the discipline. Still of great relevance, the essays consider the most prominent themes in areas of key importance to political geography, including theory and methodology, minority groups, local government and the geography of elections. This volume will be of significant value for students of political geography, urban demography and town planning.

Exploring Social Geography, first published in 1984, offers a challenging yet comprehensive introduction to the wealth of empirical research and theoretical debate that has developed in response to the advent of a social approach to the subject. The argument emphasises the essentially spatial structure of social interaction, and includes a succinct discussion of geographical research on segregation and interaction, which has combined numerical analyses and qualitative ethnographic field research. A distinctive view of social geography is adopted, inspired by the Chicago school of North American pragmatism, but also incorporating the formal sociological theories of Simmel and Weber. Exploring Social Geography will be of value to students of urban geography in particular. However, it will also indicate a wide-ranging and distinctive perspective for all students of the social sciences with a special interest in debates concerning urban, ethnic, racial, anthropological and theoretical issues.

First published in 1968, this book explores the theme of geographical generalization, or model building, examining the nature and function of generalized statements, ranging from conceptual models to scale models, in a geographical context. It focuses on demographic and sociological models as well as models in human geography in reference to economic development, urban geography and settlement location, industrial location, and agricultural activity.

First published in 1967, this book explores the theme of geographical generalization, or model building. It is composed of eight of the chapters from the original Models in Geography, published in 1967. The first chapter broadly outlines geographical generalization and examines the nature and function of generalized statements, ranging from conceptual models to scale models, in a geographical context. The following chapter deals with model theory in a wider scientific framework and the rest of the book discusses models of physical systems and information models. The book considers model-type generalizations that are applied in the three fields of geomorphology, meteorology and climatology, and hydrology before focusing on the transference of information and ideas in geography. This text represents a robustly anti-idiographic statement of modern work in one of the major branches of geography.

Social geography has been one of the most important growth areas within the field of geography in recent decades. It has brought within geographical analysis a wide range of new topics, such as ethnic segregation, crime and environment and inner city problems. First published in 1986, this edited collection surveys the field of social geography. Using key international case studies from across Europe, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, authors discuss the different trends, leading figures and issues of concern in social geography throughout the world. This is a comprehensive and accessible study that will be of particular interest to students of social and human geography, urban and environmental planning.