ANTHROPOGEOGRAPHY: HISTORY AND AREAS OF STUDY - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The anthropogeography or human geography, is a major branch of geography that is responsible for the study of human beings in their distribution on Earth. It also studies the ways in which human life develops at a specific moment in time, its levels of civilization and its relationship with the environment.

The areas of study of human geography are divided into aspects that usually define the development of habitual life from contemporaneity. The economy, politics, the social, the culture and the geographical history are the main aspects of which the application of anthropogeography is used.

Anthropogeography studies the distribution of human groups on the earth's surface.

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Anthropogeography studies are carried out through the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. This branch points to the differentiation of the earth's surface taking as reference to civilizations and their interaction with the environment.

The characteristics of the land surface also play a fundamental factor in terms of human distribution, since they determine how habitable or not an area is for our species.

History

Geography as antecedent

The history of anthropogeography is linked to its mother science, geography. The latter has a history dating back to Ancient Greece. The differentiation between peoples, civilizations, races, environments and others were several of the elements that motivated the study of terrestrial space.

Cartography and explorations are the beginning of later geography. Many of the advancements of the Greeks reached Europe in the Middle Ages through contact with the Arab world caused by the Crusades. The Europeans then began a great deal of exploration.

Other sciences that also contributed to the advancement of geography were astronomy and topography, which helped to create more detailed maps and better calculate spaces using latitude and longitude. Later, the delimitation of borders and the description of unknown areas began to be part of the usual practice that was already taken as geography.

For example, details were mentioned regarding the environment that could be found in a certain place and the characteristics of the people who lived within it.

The growth of trade from the 18th and 19th centuries increased the value of geographic information for establishing new routes. During this time, a diversity of academic societies focused on geography also emerged. At the end of the 19th century, it began to be included as a chair in universities and schools.

The birth of anthropography as a branch

Anthropography was postulated as a branch of geography by Friedrich Ratzel (1844), a geographer and ethnographer of German origin. By 1864 he studied zoology and one of his main topics of interest was the migration of species, a fact that he would study for much of his life and apply in his study of human geography.

Topics such as human interaction with the environment and cultural exchanges are also added.

Geography was integrated as a science in the mid-twentieth century, bringing with it new approaches to anthropography, which began to have a local analysis approach. In this way, the study of the spatial organization of people around functional territories would begin to be included.

For example, how a civilization can be organized around a central point that can provide services, or that has businesses or sources of employment.

From here you can even start the formation of cities, valleys, towns, as a form of organization around a source of resources necessary for life.

Anthropogeographic study areas

Anthropography handles some key concepts established by Ratzel for the geographical study of human life.

On the one hand, we speak of territory as a space of which a human group has taken ownership.

On the other hand, the term vital space is established, which is one that arises from the relationship between a human group with a space to develop. The living space can contain certain resources that represent a need for the development of a civilization.

Apart from the main concepts that allow a general understanding of the anthropography approach, there are divisions that nurture the study of man in various fields:

Economy

Economic geography focuses on the distribution of productive sectors within a territory. These can be industry, technology, agriculture, and so on. For example, trade patterns generate changes at the social and cultural level.

The current trend towards globalization has increased the way in which many companies are established, moving from local investments to projects of international scope.

Business activities can also generate trends at the cultural level. People are able to move or change their decisions according to fashion or innovations. In turn, preferences can also determine where some markets emerge or break down.

Politics

The area of ​​politics has to do with some relationships such as the State and the territory, or governments and the relationship with the inhabitants. Also included within this area are some study subdivisions such as electoral geography.

With it, for example, the way in which electoral districts are delimited and the voting patterns of the inhabitants are analyzed.

Cultural

Geography at a cultural level assesses the interaction of people with the environment and with society. It places under analysis the beliefs that govern culture and the development of civilizations, which can be seen in written records, through art, and in the behavior of the inhabitants.

Beliefs are part of the culture of a society and determine part of the behaviors of various groups.

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Social

The focus on the social part emphasizes the divisions of a society, whether by race, religion, ethnicity or class. Factors such as gender identity, age and sex are also included.

Geography, in this case, can identify the areas in which there is a greater concentration of a certain group. This also allows us to find the influences that places generate on the behavior of their inhabitants.

Geographical History

Much of the studies in this area focus on the analysis of the currently available data that allow us to reconstruct the ideas of the past. Some examples of current data may be maps from earlier times that have been found or written describing travel discoveries.

References

1. Ratzel and anthropogeography. Ministry of Education. Presidency of the Nation, Argentina. Recovered from contributions.educ.ar
2. Posada, J. (1938). Notions of Anthropogeography. Revista Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Recovered from magazines.upb.edu.co
3. Definitions: Geography. Multimedia Portal University of Nairobi. Recovered from learning.uonbi.ac.ke
4. Johnston, R. (2019). Human geography. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com
5. Human geography. Wikipedi the Free Encyclopedia. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org
6. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019). Friedrich Ratzel. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com