Environmental Determinism Environmental determinism was described by Semple (1911, p.620) as ‘the influence of climate upon race temperament’. Although quite a simple thought, it formed the basis of a notion that sparked major debate in the 19th but especially the 20th century, as to whether or not human society and its activities are indeed controlled by the physical environment in which they take place (Goodwin, 2005). The seeds for this notion of environment determinism were sown back in the 19th century. Through developing the ideas of evolutionary biology, it can be seen as geography’s way of entering the realms of modern science (Peet, 1985). Scientific thinkers of the time, Larmarck and Darwin have been credited for inspiring this notion of the environment impacting the biology and subsequent behavior of beings.
Plate tectonics was first suggested as a theory by the geologist Alfred Wegener in 1915 when he proposed the concept of continental drift. Back in the geological past, what is now South America, Africa, Australasia and Antarctica fitted together into a supercontinent known as Gondwanaland; with North America, Europe and Asia fitting into another supercontinent known as Laurasia. (OCR AS/A2 Geology, Mugglestone et al, 2008). These were once believed to be joined to form one major central global landmass known as Pangaea (Introducing Geology, Graham Park). But now due to the global distribution of these major plates it has been proposed by Wegener and his successors that convection currents in the mantle are the cause of the movement of plates.
Chris Mortimer AP World History Settembrino October 1, 2013 The Influence of Geography on History DBQ The land we live on is a vital part of the lives we live and this has been shown throughout history. Geography shaped the lives of people of the ancient world socially, economically, and politically. Socially, geography impacted the interactions of people and provided the tools for culture to develop. The land itself provided the early base of ancient economies through both agriculture and trade. Politically geography often determined whether a ruler maintained his empire or whether he fell.
The chapter introduces contemporary approaches in cultural geography and subdivides the character of culture into a folk and popular genre (178-179). Geographers consider these characteristics within the context of their interaction of the physical landscape. The text points out that it does not categorize culture but rather treats it as an overarching process that shapes, and is shaped itself by society, politics, and the economy (179). Culture is seen as something that continues on through long periods of time, yet can also emerge as something new. It represents the complex interaction of people with the material aspects of their lives.
Trade Globalization Since 1795: Waves of integration in the world-system The author, Christopher Chase-Dunn, attempts in his paper to analyze the global system that exists today. View the world as one global system leads to simplification of regional and local factors, scale of analysis. Discussing the integration of the world the author indicates three waves as the major driving force behind the economic system we live in today. Communication prior to the last two centuries has been limited to line of sight and speed of travel. The story of the Greek running back to his countrymen from Thermopile to give them the news of their battle.
Each of these elements is done in a way to serve the the underlying message behind the story, the fact that the West is the civilizer and the non West is the uncivilized. Starting from this point, the aim of this paper is to analyze the story and interpret it as an allegory of Western civilization and its colonial expansion, specifically in Americas. It will argue that Carpentier undermines the notion that colonial domination aims to help people to develop and progress to achieve civilization, and reveals the real intentions of the colonizer, namely exploitation and exoticism. It will also examines in details the elements of story mentioned above and how they are created to represent the West. Finally it will show how Carpentier’s story complements the postcolonial theory.
Howell, J. and Pearce, M. (2002) ‘Genealogies of the Conceptual Encounter’, Civil Society and Development: A Critical Exploration (Lynne Reinner Publishers:London) (2) pp. 13-38 Summary: The historical context of civil society and its multiple understandings are seen as its contribution to promote discussion. It involves essentially the relationships among the state, individual and society derived from dichotomized mainstream and alternative genealogies of thinking with such intra-variability that none of them can be convincing or complete(Howell & Pearce, 2002: 13-17). They both affect policy and practice differently, with the former addressing poverty issues in homogenous Tocquevillian/modernist lines and the latter in a more holistic fashion, looking at factors beyond the pursuit of commercial interests and well-defined “right” sets of policies. According to Howell and Pearce (2002: 37), alternative genealogy reinvented the concept of civil society by making it a space for contestation and challenge of the systemic capitalist spread, supported by values of reciprocal solidarity.
Coupled with technological revolution in informatics, the new era of neoliberal globalisation emerges. This essay will examine the relationship between globalisation and reorganisation of work and employment relations. Firstly, it will point out the politically constructed and neoliberal character of globalisation. Secondly, it will discuss and evaluate how the separate consequences of globalisation, namely commodification of labour, labour flexibility, emergence of contingent labour, organisational restructuring,
U.S. senator Albert J. Beveridge had stated “We are a conquering race. We must obey our blood and occupy new markets, and if necessary, new lands.” (Perry. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, Volume II, 9th Edition. Wadsworth Publishing, 10/2008). This demonstrates how Darwin’s ideals could be applied to other scientific fields outside the sphere of biology to include business progress and political science as well.
Stanley James Granz writes about the origins of postmodernism in his book A Primer on the Postmodern: “Many historians place the birth of the modern era at the dawn of Enlightenment... it became the God of human intellectual quest to unlock the secrets of the universe in order to master nature for human benefit and create a better world”. (Granz, 1996) It is important to familiarize ourselves with Enlightenment in order to understand postmodernism. The term is used within the European philosophy and refers to the time we know now as the Age of Reason. An example of the quizzical, curious state of minds of people living in this era can look no further than the first encyclopaedias, which were compiled and published during this period. Rather than be content with what history had taught them, they would seek the truth, rather than settle for superstition and fear.