Geography, Science and National Identity: Scotland since 1520

by Charles W. J. Withers

Overview

Scotland is viewed from the context of the relationship between geographical knowledge and national identity in this study. The author explores new perspectives on Empire, national characteristics and local geographies of science, and advances a previously unexplored area of geographical inquiry—the historical geography of geographical knowledge. The book offers a broad-ranging approach to the subject, and will be of interest to students as well as imperial historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521024822
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/16/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography , #33
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

Charles W. J. Withers is Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Edinburgh. His publications include Geography and Enlightenment (1999), co-edited with David Livingstone.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: geography, science and historical geographies of knowledge; 2. Geography, identity and the making of the nation, 1520–1682; 3. Geography, credibility and national knowledge, 1682–1707; 4. Geography, enlightenment and the public sphere, 1707–c.1830; 5. National identity, geographical knowledge and civic enterprise, c.1830–84; 6. Geography and national identity in an age of High Empire, 1884–1930; 7. Conclusion: a historical geography of geographical knowledge; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Geography, Science, and National Identity offers a sweeping chronology and reveals the richness of the history of Scottish geography. There is a wealth of material here, and Withers pushes us to think differently about geography and its importance to political, social, and intellectual history." Isis

"Geographers and historical geographers will certainly appreciate this work. Historians can learn much from it too...it brings together a wealth of new information about the place and understanding of geography in Scotland over the past five hundred years and presents this within a broader British and European framework." Albion

"Withers provokes worthwhile questions." Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History

"...the issues raised here are significant for any cultural historian with an interest in culture's physical context." Sixteenth Century Journal

From the Publisher