The Problem with Geographical Determinism

What do geographers ask?

They ask “How much does our environment shape who we are?”

What are the 3 core concepts that geographers use to understand the world?

• Place

• Region 

• Adaptation 

What does geography include?

• Climate

• Topography (land shapes: mountains, rivers)

• Economy

• Built environment (ex. buildings..)

What does a place refer to in geography?

A place refers to a specific location on Earths surface with a unique combination of physical and human characteristics. 

True or false: Places are distinctly unique and often difficult to describe.

true

What do places usually include?

• Physical features such as mountains, beaches, and plant and animal life 

• Cultural features such as architecture and religion  

• Economic features such as forms of livelihood (how individuals earn money or work)

Why does the concept of place goes beyond a simple location on a map?

As it includes the meaning and emotions that people are attached to a specific area based on their experiences and interactions with it. 

What is the difference between place and location?

Location focuses on where; whereas place focuses on what it is like there. 

Why do places exert an influence on individuals?

Places influence people because their distinct human and physical characteristics affect who they live, think, and interact. 

How do people and their surroundings affect each other?

Places are shaped by nature (such as land and climate) and by peoples culture and society, but they can change over time; people are influenced by their surroundings, yet they can also change those surroundings (for example climate affecting people; they should building warm houses and new roads, which would take time) 

What does region refer to in geography?

A region is a large area made up of smaller places that share similar physical, economic, and cultural features.

What do regions share?

Shared characteristics, including economic systems or political commitments.  

What does adaptation mean in geography?

Adaptations are the creative ways that individuals adjust to the conditions of the region that they live in. 

Where are adaptations seen?

• Traditional areas

• Nonindustrial areas 

• Modern societies 

• Economies 

What is “genius loci” in geography?

It means the “spirit of the place”, or the special way people adapt to and thrive in their environment. 

Give an example of human adaptation

Tibetans use yak dung (poop form an animal) as fuel, showing that they adapt to their environment using available resources. 

Who is Jared Diamond?

Jared Diamond is a geographer and author who studied how geography affects the development of societies. 

What does Diamond argue in his book of Guns, German and Steel?

Diamond argues that places here agriculture started early had more people, and the larger populations helped them become powerful societies and better technology. 

This game regions like Europe a head start, and geography (not genetics) explains why some regions became powerful. 

What are the counterarguments to Diamonds determinism?

• Some places were good for agriculture but didn’t develop intensive farming (e.g., Southern Africa, Australia).

• Some regions domesticated crops early (e.g., Southeast Asia, China) but didn’t become dominant until recently.

• Geography alone cannot explain development, as history, economics, and colonialism also matter.

• His focus on 19th-20th century is arbitrary (random); dominance could change if you pick a different time 

• Human adaptation is creative, and individuals can change their environment, so geography honest fully determine history. 

What does a dialectical relationship mean in geography?

It means that people and their environment influence each other: people are shaped by places, they also change places, create regions, and adapt the Earth to meet their needs. 

For example. rice and people are changed as they evolve together.

How did agricultural systems evolved?

Agricultural systems evolved as people used large populations as labor and improved techniques, such as building terraces and flood plains to grow more rice. 

How are humans, by their natures, tinkerers (people who like to fix or change stuff to make them better)?

Humans are tinkered as they change the land, create places and regions, and improve their culture and ways of living. 

What does the rice paddy system require and why?

The rice paddy system requires complex social systems as individuals must work together to manage water gates, share labor and seeds, and maintain related rice fields.

What do dialectical relationships, such as ones of the rice paddy system lead to?

These social systems led to innovation, more sophisticated social interactions, and new rice cultures and economies.

Because of this, the rice economies of the region were among the most sophisticated and complex in the world by the early 20th century. 

Can people completely control their environment? 

No, people shape and create their environment, but they cannot control it entirely. 

What did scholars propose as of the new name of our current geological time period?

The Anthropocene epoch