The Introductory Reader in Human Geography

A lively and stimulating companion to standard classroom texts in human geography.

• Selections are influential in the development of the discipline or relevant to contemporary policy debates
• Includes a general introduction and helpful individual section introductions
• Systematically organized into eight sections: introductory readings; population and migration; environment, agriculture and society; cultural geography and place; urban geography; economic geography; development geography; and political geography
• Features intelligent readings from esteemed geographers while remaining accessible for those coming to the field for the first time

Notes on the Editors.

Preface and Acknowledgements.

Introduction: Situating Human Geography.

Part I: Introductory Readings:.

1. “The Four Traditions of Geography”: William D. Pattison.

2. “Geography’s Perspectives”: National Research Council.

3. “Geography and Foreign Policy”: H.J. de Blij.

4. “Reflections of an American Geographer on the Anniversary of September 11th” : William G. Moseley.

5. From How to Lie with Maps: Mark Monmonier.

6. “Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make”: Jerome E. Dobson.

Part II: Population and Migration:.

7. “An Essay on the Principle of Population”: Thomas Robert Malthus.

8. “Population Growth and a Sustainable Environment”: Michael Mortimore and Mary Tiffen.

9. “Population Geography and HIV/AIDS: The Challenge of a Wholly Exceptional Disease”: W.T.S. Gould and R.I. Woods.

10. “Interprovincial Migration, Population Redistribution, and Regional Development in China: 1990 and 2000 Census Comparisons”: C. Cindy Fan.

Part III: Environment, Agriculture and Society:.

11. “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race”: Jared Diamond.

12. “The Future of Traditional Agriculture”. Donald Q. Innis.

13. “Geography and the Global Environment”: Diana M.Liverman.

14. “Water Resource Conflicts in the Middle East”: Christine Drake.

15. From Americans and Their Weather: William B. Meyer.

16. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature”: William Cronon.

Part IV: Cultural Geography and Place:.

17. “Minnesota: Nature’s Playground”: David A. Lanegran.

18. “American Microbreweries and Neolocalism: ‘Ale-ing’ for a Sense of Place”: Wes Flack.

19. “Transplanting Pilgrimage Traditions in the Americas”: Carolyn V. Prorok.

20. “Kitchenspace, Fiestas, and Cultural Reproduction in Mexican House-Lot Gardens”: Maria Elisa Christie.

Part V: Urban Geography:.

21. “Greenville: From Back Country to Forefront”: Eugene A. Kennedy.

22. “Ethnic Residential Concentrations in United States Metropolitan Areas”: James P. Allen and Eugene Turner.

23. “South Africa’s National Housing Subsidy Program and Apartheid’s Urban Legacy”: Kimberly Lanegran and David Lanegran.

24. “World-City Network: A New Metageography?”: Jonathan V. Beaverstock, Richard G. Smith, and Peter J. Taylor.

Part VI: Economic Geography:.

25. “Geographies of Knowledge, Practices of Globalization: Learning from the Oil Exploration and Production Industry”: Gavin Bridge and Andrew Wood.

26. “The Impact of Containerization on Work on the New York–New Jersey Waterfront”: Andrew Herod.

27. “Wine, Spirits and Beer: World Patterns of Consumption”: David Grigg.

28. “Producing and Consuming Chemicals: The Moral Economy of the American Lawn”: Paul Robbins and Julie T. Sharp.

29. “Women at Work”: Mona Domosh and Joni Seager.

Part VII: The Geography of Development and Underdevelopment:.

30. “The Re-scaling of Uneven Development in Ghana and India”: Richard Grant and Jan Nijman.

31. “Development Alternatives: Practice, Dilemmas and Theory”: A.J. Bebbington and D.H. Bebbington.

32. “Rural Development in El Hatillo, Nicaragua: Gender, Neoliberalism and Environmental Risk”: Julie Cupples.

33. “The Sahel of West Africa: A Place for Geographers?”: Simon Batterbury.

34. “Geography, Culture and Prosperity”: Andres Oppenheimer.

Part VIII: Political Geography:.

34. “Revisiting the ‘pivot’: the influence of Halford Mackinder on analysis of Uzbekistan’s international relations”: Nick Megoran.

35. “Euroregions in Comparative Perspective: Differential Implications for Europe’s Borderlands”: Joanna M.M. Kepka and Alexander B. Murphy.

36. “The End of Public Space? People’s Park, Definitions of the Public, and Democracy”: Don Mitchell.

Index

"The editors have been ambitious in their intentions and ... Have met their aims handsomely." (Progress in Human Geography, April 2009)

"A relatively good spread of world regions is covered in the remaining chapters of the book.... 'Geography, Culture and Prosperity' by Oppenheimer is particularly interesting. I am sure these abbreviated chapters will appeal to many undergraduate students." (South African Geographical Journal, 2008)

"What is remarkable about this book is its suitability both as an introductory text and companion reader for first, second and third year undergraduate students of human geography… It should capture students’ imagination or sense of wonder while simultaneously helping them to engage in critical thinking… Highly recommended." (Geographical Research: Journal of the Institute of Australian Geographers)“Pieces are well contextualized and work effectively together ….This title would be appropriate to all levels of undergraduate study.” (Times Higher Education Supplement)

William G. Moseley is Associate Professor of Geography at Macalester College.

David A. Lanegran is Professor of Geography at Macalester College.

Kavita Pandit is Professor of Geography at the University of Georgia.

This reader is a lively and stimulating companion to standard classroom texts in human geography. Featuring a dynamic collection of material, the volume is designed to foster a clear understanding of human geography and its concepts, debates and controversies.

The topics selected are accessible to introductory students, yet enduring in their insights, influential in the development of the discipline, or relevant to contemporary policy debates. The book includes sections on: population and migration; environment; agriculture, and society; cultural geography and place; urban and economic geography; development geography; and political geography. Each chapter contains an introduction by the editors followed by several essays addressing these specific themes.

This engaging and thought-provoking resource is an ideal supplement to any introductory human geography textbook. It can also be used very effectively on its own as an introduction for anyone coming to the subject for the first time.

"This is an entertaining, enlightening, challenging book. If you anticipate that it is just another compendium of classics in geography, think again. This book is an engaging combination of substance and opinion, proof of the vitality of geography and its relevance to current events. It is a winning combination. This is a book not just to be read, but to be mined, for the nuggets are many and surprises abound."
–Harm de Blij, Michigan State University

"This reader is comprehensive and thoughtfully organized, providing a central place for some of the most accessible and provocative pieces on human geography today. By including the range of contemporary conceptual concerns and highly accessible empirical material it invites student engagement in an array of exciting disciplinary conversations."
–Sallie A. Marston, University of Arizona