Describe nature of human geography.
Answers
Human Geography
• “Human geography is the synthetic study of relationship between human societies and earth’s surface”. Ratzel
• “Human geography is the study of “the Changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth.” Ellen C. Semple
• “Conception resulting from a more synthetic knowledge of the physical laws governing our earth and of the relations between the living beings which inhabit it”.
Paul Vidal de la Blache
Nature of human geography
Human geography studies the inter-relationship between the physical environment and socio cultural environment created by human beings through mutual interaction with each other.
Geography is ‘the study of the earth as home of humans’.
Its nature is interdisciplinary and integrative. Geography looks at the earth’s surface from two different but interrelated perspectives, known as systematic and regional.
Accordingly, it has two broad branches: systematic geography and regional geography. Human geography is a branch of systematic geography.
It studies the locational and distributional aspects of cultural phenomena, resulting from ever changing human-nature interaction.
Naturalization of humans/ environmental determinism:
According to this approach—
Man is the slave of his environment.
All activities of man are determined by the environment in which he lives
Humans were not free and they adapted according to the nature.
It considers man as passive agent, whose attitude, decision making is influenced by physical environment.
Man listened to nature & was afraid of its fury and worshipped it.
Supporters: Hippocrates, Aristotle, Humboldt, Ratzel & semple.
Humanization of nature/ possibilism:
Humans are free to choose/decide. Nature did not control him.
The nature provided/offered opportunities/possibilities for humans to exploit it for their benefits.
Natural environment is inert and man is seen as an active force.
It’s the technology, attitude, habits which influenced its action not the nature.
With socio-cultural development humans develop better and more efficient technology. Man creates possibilities with the resources obtained from the environment .slowly nature gets humanized.
Supporters: Vidal de la blache, febvre.
Neo-determinism/ scientific determinism:
Griffith Taylor introduced another concept which reflects a middle path between the two ideas of environmental determinism and possibilism known as neo-determinism or stop and go determinism. it states-
Neither is there a condition of absolute necessity (environmental determinism) nor is there a condition of absolute freedom (possibilism)
Nature has provided possibilities & scope of development but also put limits on it.
Humans can conquer nature by obeying it.
Examples of metaphors used to describe the physical &human phenomena.
1. 'Face' of the earth.
2.' eye'of the storm.
3.' mouth' of the river.
4.' snout' of the glacier.
5.' neck' of the isthmus.
6. 'profile' of the soil.
7. Regions, villages, towns have been described as 'organism'.
8. Network of roads, railways &waterways are described as 'arteries of circulation'.