In the years before the publication of this book, there had been a marked interest in the methodology of historical geography as well as in its underlying philosophies and analytical techniques. Originally published in 1982, this volume of essays comprises the revised version of most of the papers read and discussed during the symposium held in Cambridge in 1979, and sponsored the International Geographical Union's Working Group on Historical Changes in Spatial Organization. Some of the essays review developments within particular schools of historical geography, whilst others consider the difficulties of identifying and interpreting geographical change. These essays attempt to promote discussion about the purpose and practice of historical geography, and they will be of interest not only to geographers, but also to historians, historical sociologists, anthropologists and demographers, and to all concerned with the methodology of historical enquiry.
The debate about the purpose and practice of historical geography has often focused upon the progress to be made in the discipline through an adaptation to new problems, new methodologies, new techniques and new sources. Originally published in 1984, this volume of interpretative essays extends that debate by exploring in tentative fashion some basic methodological and substantive issues from essentially interdisciplinary standpoints. In any exploration, risks have to be accepted as an integral part of this enterprise. All of the contributors to this book take pleasure in one another's polemical company, and each essay explores a wide field while being soundly based in personal research. The hope is that some of this pleasure will be shared by those who critically read these essays.
To what extent has a North-South divide been a structural feature of England's geography during the last millennium and to what extent has it been especially associated with, and recognized during, particular periods in the past? These are the central questions addressed in this pioneering exploration of the history of a fundamentally geographical concept. Six essays treating different historical periods in time are integrated by their common concern with two geographical questions: first, to what extent is it possible for us to detect a material or tangible North-South divide in England in those periods in terms of regional differences in, for example, population, economy, society and culture; and, secondly, how important was the idea of such a divide to the geographical imaginations of contemporaries? A concluding essay by the editors reviews the social construction of England's geography and history and the significance of the North-South divide as a cultural metaphor.
An enormous amount of research into British field systems has been undertaken by historical geographers, economic historians and others since H. L. Gray's classic work on English Field Systems was published. Detailed local studies have been legion, generalized explanations of the origins and functioning of field systems few but influential in promoting further studies. This book both synthesises and advances our knowledge of field systems in the British Isles. An introduction by the editors outlines the sources and methods of studies of field systems. There then follow twelve chapters concerned with specific areas within the British Isles. In their own conclusion, the editors consider the problems and perspectives of field system studies in the context of the British Isles as a whole. This chapter is an attempt at generalisation in historical geography, generalization in relation to both existing models of British field systems and putative problems which only further research can
Geography and History is the first book for more than a century to examine comprehensively the interdependence of the two disciplines. Alan Baker, an internationally honoured historical geographer, focuses upon the work of North American, British and French historians and geographers but takes a global and interdisciplinary perspective upon the theory and practice of historical geography and geographical history. He analyses the views of historians on the relationship of their discipline to geography, and geographers on the relationship of theirs to history. He considers in turn locational geographies and spatial histories, environmental geographies and histories, landscape geographies and histories, and regional geographies and histories. Seeking to bridge the 'Great Divide' between history and geography, Dr Baker identifies some basic principles relating historical geography not only to history but also to geography, a reworking which signifies a 'new beginning' for this scholarly
Geography and History is the first book for more than a century to examine comprehensively the interdependence of the two disciplines. Alan Baker, an internationally honoured historical geographer, focuses upon the work of North American, British and French historians and geographers but takes a global and interdisciplinary perspective upon the theory and practice of historical geography and geographical history. He analyses the views of historians on the relationship of their discipline to geography, and geographers on the relationship of theirs to history. He considers in turn locational geographies and spatial histories, environmental geographies and histories, landscape geographies and histories, and regional geographies and histories. Seeking to bridge the 'Great Divide' between history and geography, Dr Baker identifies some basic principles relating historical geography not only to history but also to geography, a reworking which signifies a 'new beginning' for this scholarly
Landscapes of material are also landscapes of meaning: praxis is itself symbolic, and all landscapes are symbolic in practice. Ideology and Landscape in Historical Perspective draws together fifteen historical geographers to examine landscapes as messages to be decoded, as signs to be deciphered. The range of examples is wide in terms of period, from the medieval to the modern, and of place, embracing the USA, Canada, Palestine, Israel, South Africa, India, Singapore, France and Germany. Each essay addresses a specific problem, but collectively they are principally concerned with the ideologies of religion and of politics, of Church and state, and their historical impress upon landscapes. The book is introduced by an essay which explores the dialectical understanding of landscapes, and landscapes as expressions of the connection of an ideology to a quest for order, to an assertion of authority and to a project of totalization. The issues raised by landscapes and their meanings - issues
