Geography

Book excerpt: This now standard student reference has been totally revised and updated. It remains 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; with more on the growth of spatial sciences, Geographical Information Systems, and ways of representing the world An examination of geography from Antiquity to the early modern period An analysis of paradigm shifts in geography, the philosophy of science, and the quantitative revolution; A critical discussion of positivism, empiricism, structuration theory, realism; as well as an introduction to core themes and concepts in current geographical thought including space, place, and post-modernism A review of global processes and local responses, from economic globalization to global environmental change