The Structure of Political Geography

by Julian Minghi (Editor)

Overview

This volume seeks to provide a sense of purpose and order to the study of political geography. The editors devise a conceptual structure for the field, bringing political geography into line with trends in contemporary geography as a whole and with other social sciences. Not only do the selections contain a wide variety of contributions from other fields, but the introductory essays and annotated bibliographies suggest related research. The structure of the book enjoys close parallels in other social sciences.The organization of the book reflects the editors' definitions and structuring of political geography. Part I, "Heritage," includes works that have contributed to the theoretical development of the field. Part II, "Structure," comprises the concern to which political geographers have devoted most of their past attention. Parts III and IV, "Process" and "Behavior," form the subject where much future theoretical and practical effort is needed. Part V, "Environment," provides the context in which spatial structure, process, and behavior occur.The Structure of Political Geography includes selections from sociobiology, history, international relations, political economy, political science, social psychology, and sociology. The classics in the field are an essential inclusion since the book would be incomplete without them. The selections in the volume, originally published in 1971, remain useful and pertinent to political geographers of diverse persuasion and to social scientists interested in geographical approaches. The fact that there is a clear focus and conceptual interdependence in political geography is the volume's greatest contribution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412818544
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	05/15/2011
Pages:	542
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Roger E. Kasperson is research professor and distinguished scientist at the George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University. His research focuses upon efforts to develop a stronger understanding of how the vulnerability of people, places, and ecosystems can be better understood. He is the author or editor of numerous books including Water Re-Use and the Cities and The Social Amplification of Risk.

Julian V. Minghi is distinguished professor emeritus of geography at the University of South Carolina. In addition to his numerous scholarly articles he is editor or co-editor of The Geography of Border Landscapes, The Geographer and the Public Environment, and Peoples of the Living Land.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION PART 1. Heritage 1. The Ideal State, Aristotle 2. The Laws of the Spatial Growth of States, 3. Earmarks of Political Geography, 4- The Functional Approach in Political Geography, 5. A Unified Field Theory of Political Geography, 6. Studies in Political Geography, Ad Hoc Committee on Geography PART II. Structure 7. Rank and Territory, 8. Symmetry and Asymmetry as Elements of Federalism: A Theoretical Speculation, 9. The Territorial Evolution of France, IO. The City as a Center of Change: Western Europe and China, II. The Nature of Frontiers and Boundaries, 12. The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 13. Boundary Studies in Political Geography, 14. The Geographical Pivot of History, Heartland and Rimland, 16. Geostrategic and Geopolitical Regions, PART III. Process 17. The Growth of Nations: Some Recurrent Patterns of Political and Social Integration, 18. A Paradigm for the Study of Political Unification, 19. Communications and Territorial Integration in East Africa 20. Systems and the Disintegration of Empires, 2 I. The Franco-Italian Boundary in the Alpes Maritimes, 22. Independence and After, Immanuel Wallerstein 23. Building the Newest Nations, 24. Metropolitan Growth and Future Political Problems, PART IV. Behavior 25. The Noyau, Robert Ardr 26. Space, Territory, and Human Movements, 27. Two Cognitive Maps:28. On the Chinese Perception ofa World Order, 29. National Images and International Systems, 30. The West Indies Chooses a Capital, David Lowenthal 31. Toward a Geography of Urban Politics: Chicago, a Case Study, 32. Electoral Studies in Political Geography,]. R. V. Prescott 33. Impact of Negro Migration on the Electoral Geography of Flint, Michigan, 1932- 1962: A Cartographic Analysis,34. Discovering Voting Groups in the United Nations, PART V. Environment 35. The Challenge of the Environment, 36. The Hydraulic Civilizations, 37. The Impress of Effective Central Authority upon the Landscape,38. The Political Influence in Australian Geography, 39. The Conflict of Salmon Fishing Policies in the North Pacific, 40. Environmental Stress and the Municipal Political System: The Brockton Water Crisis of 1961-1966

Editorial Reviews

The Structure of Political Geography is a sound volume of readings and a welcome addition because it demonstrates the usefulness of the behavioralist orientation in geography.” —Gordon J. Fielding, Economic Geography “The plea made in this book for a fresh approach to international politics and the guidelines offered on how this should be done deserve serious attention from political scientists and are of more than marginal interest to political geographers.” —W. Gordon East, The Geographical Journal

From the Publisher