Geography - History and Concepts: A Student′s Guide

by Arild Holt-Jensen

Book Overview

Totally revised and updated, the Third Edition of this bestselling textbook is the definitive introduction to the history, philosophy and methodology of human geography. The book is organized into five sections: an historical overview of the discipline and an explanation of its organization; an examination of geography from Antiquity to the early modern period; an analysis of paradigm shifts and the quantitative revolution; discussions of postivism, empiricism, structuration theory, realism and postmodernism; and finally an introduction to core themes and concepts in current geographical thought including space, place and feminism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761961801
• ISBN13: 9780761961802
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.8" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

A thoughtful and thorough look at Ge

This book starts each chapter with a nearly intangible discussion of the philosophical aspects of geography for the respective period, then gets into very good summaries of the period, its key players and concepts. Its also sprinkled with great examples of work that illustrates research at the various periods which help cement the concepts. I expect this will be a useful reference for those time when I forget the difference between structuration theory and realism.

A model text

This book is now out in a third edition (SAGE Publications, 1999). It is a book about geography, but I review it as a model on how an author in one of the (social) sciences can analyze his discipline in a philosophical way. ------ The book presents different philosophical positions such as positivism, marxism, structuralism, realism and poststructuralism in a clear way and describes how such positions have influenced the development of geography. In my opinion such philosophical analysis of (social) sciences are rare, but extremely important. I whish I knew of similar qualified books in all other domains. Such books shows that sciences are built on assumptions, that can be questioned and they help developing critical thinking.