Broad Stages and Thrust of Human Geography

Broader Stages of Human Geography

• Exploration and description characterized the early colonial period, driven by imperial and trade interests, with geographers providing encyclopaedic descriptions of new areas.

Early Colonial Period

• Regional analysis was a key aspect of this period, with elaborate descriptions of all aspects of a region, aiming to understand the parts as part of a whole (the earth).

1930s to Inter-War Period

• Areal differentiation became the focus, aiming to identify the uniqueness of each region and understand how and why it differed from others.

Late 1950s to Late 1960s

• Spatial organisation marked this period, characterized by the use of computers and sophisticated statistical tools, applying laws of physics to human phenomena, and seeking mappable patterns for different human activities (the quantitative revolution).

1970s

• Discontent with the quantitative revolution led to the emergence of humanistic, radical, and behavioural schools of thought, making human geography more relevant to socio-political reality.

1990s

• Post-modernism in geography questioned grand generalisations and the applicability of universal theories to explain human conditions, emphasizing the importance of understanding each local context in its own right.

Human Geography and Sister Disciplines of Social Sciences

Sub-fields and Interfaces

• Social Geography interfaces with Sociology
• Behavioural Geography interfaces with Psychology
• Geography of Social Well-being interfaces with Welfare Economics
• Cultural Geography interfaces with Anthropology
• Gender Geography interfaces with Sociology, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies
• Historical Geography interfaces with History
• Medical Geography interfaces with Epidemiology
• Urban Geography interfaces with Urban Studies and Planning
• Political Geography interfaces with Political Science and Electoral Geography (Psephology)
• Military Geography interfaces with Military Science
• Population Geography interfaces with Demography
• Settlement Geography interfaces with Urban/Rural Planning
• Economic Geography interfaces with Economics
• Geography of Resources interfaces with Resource Economics
• Geography of Agriculture interfaces with Agricultural Sciences
• Geography of Industries interfaces with Industrial Economics
• Geography of Marketing interfaces with Business Studies, Economics, and Commerce
• Geography of Tourism interfaces with Tourism and Travel Management
• Geography of International Trade interfaces with International Trade