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Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Human geography
While there is no shortage of of books on the environment there are few introductory texts that outline the social theory that informs human geographical approaches to the interactions between ecology and society. Students arriving at university often lack the understanding of history, economics, politics, sociology and philosophy that contemporary human geography requires. Environments in a Changing World addresses this deficit, providing foundation knowledge in a form that is accessible to first year students and applied to the understanding of both contemporary environmental issues and the challenge of sustainability. Students are challenged to develop and defend their own ethical and political positions on sustainability and respond to the need for new forms of ecological citizenship.
This contributed volume provides case studies from around the world that feature a convergence of indigenous and western knowledge in an attempt to understand complex socio-ecological systems. The book provides an understanding of socio-ecological systems in an ethical space using a 'Decoloniality' approach (i.e. untangling the production of knowledge from a primarily Eurocentric episteme). The work presented here integrates and merges indigenous knowledge with western science, thereby building on the strengths of each in service of understanding these systems. The editors of this volume approach indigenous communities and scientists as equal knowledge-holders and, in doing so, contributes towards improved understanding of socio-ecological systems and interactions in cross-cultural contexts. This volume will be of interest to scientists, instructors, students and policy makers across disciplines such as environmental sciences, social sciences, interdisciplinary studies, cultural studies, ethnobotany, anthropology and plant genetic resources.
Most social geography undergraduate textbooks are structured around different social categories, splintering the discussion of gender, class, race and increasingly now sexuality and disability, into separate chapters. This has the effect, firstly, of making social relations rather than space (the raison d'etre of human geography) the focus of undergraduate books; secondly of ignoring the way that social relations are negotiated and contested in different space. Rather than reproducing this conventional social geography format the aim of this proposed text is to make space the focus of analysis. In doing so the intention is to make complex theoretical debates about space more accessible to students and encourage them to look at their own environments in new ways.
This book explores the leading role that cities can play in shaping progressive policies in collaboration with various stakeholders. It examines the timing of such shifts to progressivity in cities, the interactions that enable progressive actions to be developed and sustained, and the challenges and constraints facing progressive cities. The book approaches the themes using an array of methods to investigate how progressive city governments emerge, what constitutes a "progressive city" in terms of governance institutions, processes and outcomes and whether progressive cities are destined to be ephemeral or if they can be sustained over time. With its focus on the emerging role of local governments in shaping city futures, this book is useful for students, academics, government official and policy makers interested in geography, sociology, urban planning, public policy, political economy, social movements, participatory democracy and Asian and European studies.
Geographers regard fieldwork as a vital instrument for understanding our world through direct experience, for gathering basic data about this world, and as a fundamental method for enacting geographical education. The range of international geography and educational experts who contributed to this volume has demonstrated that the concept of fieldwork has a considerable history in the field of geography. They have demonstrated that the theoretical aspects of fieldwork have been interpreted differently in regions around the world, but the importance of fieldwork remains strong globally. A fresh look at the pedagogic implications for fieldwork in formal education offers ideas both for promoting it in geographical education and for maintaining its place in the geography curriculum. Audience: Forward-looking geographers and educators now recognise that alternative strategies, especially those involving the use of information technology, should be developed to reaffirm the centrality of fieldwork in geographical and wider education.
The Joint 6th Biennial SGA-SEG Meeting was held in Krakow in August 2001. This volume contains 274 extended abstracts, grouped thematically under 18 session titles covering topics such as lead-zinc deposits; metamorphism affecting mineral deposits; and the environmental aspects of mining.
In recent years, the contemporary social sciences have again turned their attention to space and places. The hypothesis is that these are not accidental episodes but a full-blown revolution in the way of viewing economic processes and their links with social and cultural structures. In other words, this new sensitivity to places offers the possibility of rethinking issues typical of economics in a different perspective that might be defined as local development, one of the terms most (ab)used in the contemporary scientific and political debate. In this book the authors will thus try to support more strongly, although in a necessarily simplified manner, the possibility of constructing a theory of local development. The key idea is that there is no single development model operating at a given time and valid for all places, but that it is more correct to talk of multiple development paths that co-exist in the same place at the same time (multiplicity of development paths). The central point is not to identify the succession of distinct hegemonic models (Fordism versus post-Fordism, mass production versus lean production and so on), but to show how the complexity of the contemporary economy demands new concepts to explain its apparent contradictions. In the authors' view, the conception of a theory of local development implies radical rethinking in institutionalist terms of the way of viewing the economy and production, recognising that behind economic development lies a wealth of institutional assets that make the encounter between local and global more open and varied than ever before (institutional biodiversity).
An innovative introduction to Human Geography, exploring different ways of studying the relationships between people and place, and putting people at the centre of human geography. The book covers behavioural, humanistic and cultural traditions, showing how these can lead to a nuanced understanding of how we relate to our surroundings on a day-to-day basis. The authors also explore how human geography is currently influenced by 'postmodern' ideas stressing difference and diversity. While taking the importance of these different approaches seriously as ways of thinking about the role of place in peoples' everyday lives, the book also tries to encapsulate what has been so vibrant and exciting about human geography over the last couple of decades. By using examples to which students can relate - such as how they imagine and represent their home, the way they avoid certain spaces, how they move through retail spaces, where they choose to go to university, how they use the Internet, how they represent other nations and so on - the authors show how geography shapes everyday life in a manner that is seemingly mundane yet profoundly important.
We think vulnerability still matters when considering how people are put at risk from hazards and this book shows why in a series of thematic chapters and case studies written by eminent disaster studies scholars that deal with the politics of disaster risk creation: precarity, conflict, and climate change. The chapters highlight different aspects of vulnerability and disaster risk creation, placing the stress rightly on what causes disasters and explaining the politics of how they are created through a combination of human interference with natural processes, the social production of vulnerability, and the neglect of response capacities. Importantly, too, the book provides a platform for many of those most prominently involved in launching disaster studies as a social discipline to reflect on developments over the past 50 years and to comment on current trends. The interdisciplinary and historical perspective that this book provides will appeal to scholars and practitioners at both the national and international level seeking to study, develop, and support effective social protection strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of hazards on vulnerable populations. It will also prove an invaluable reference work for students and all those interested in the future safety of the world we live in.
This book includes a general overview of the book series and summarizes the research results in its 13 subtopics. It systematically elaborates on how the construction and promotion of intelligent cities with Chinese characteristics could be implemented in the course of intelligent urbanization in China. Furthermore, it presents a variety of literature on urban management innovation and development, making it a valuable reference source on both the theoretic and empirical development of the new urbanization in China for intelligent-city decision-makers, c-level directors and officials in urban economy, social and environment departments and institutions all over the world.
'Poverty in Plenty breaks new ground in two ways. It is the first national Human Development Report to focus on an industrialised country and it is the first to be produced by a non-governmental organisation While problems of poverty and deprivation are less extreme in countries such as the UK than in some other parts of the world, the human development message is still highly relevant. There are many people who suffer through inadequate housing, insufficient means to guarantee a nutritious diet and the absence of secure, rewarding and remunerative employment' From the Foreward by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Human Development Report Office, United Nations Development Programme 'The economics that dominates Britain loosely known as globilisation is a kind of religion which dictates that the worship of money should take preference over common buman values like the sharing of wealth and the right to a decent life. This report reveals the power of traditional economics over our society, and the way in which the lives of our grandmothers and grandfathers, men and women, girls and boys have been damaged and impoverished. I highly recommend it' Ann Pettifor, Director, Jubilee 2000 UK The UK's performance on poverty and deprivation ranks 16th out of 18 industrialised countries ? People living in Glasgow Shettleston are 3.8 times more likely to die before they are 65 years old than those living in Wokingham In industrialised countries, wealth and affluence are widely perceived to be growing, although not at the same rate for everyone. But economic growth is not the same as genuine human development. Poverty in Plenty applies accepted measures of human poverty education, health and employment to the UK, and assesses how our food and housing policies contribute to a sustainable way of life. It draws on the work of leading research institutes and campaigning groups to determine the real state of society in the UK. Using a range of indicators to measure livelihoods and well-being, the report shows how widespread poverty is and highlights the vast geographical disparities in levels of poverty that exist within the UK. It goes on to set out what urgently needs to be done to address the sobering trends revealed and describes effective policies that will allow us to improve the current situation. The findings are of vital importance to those working on social issues in the public and voluntary sectors, and to students and general readers wanting the truth behind the public statistics. Jane Seymour is an independent researcher and writer on health and environment issues. Originally published in 2000
In an age of "ethnic cleansing" and forced migration, of contested
borders and nations in turmoil, how have issues of place and
identity, and of belonging and exclusion, been represented in
visual culture? In "Terra Infirma," Irit Rogoff uses the work of
international contemporary artists to explore how art in the
twentieth century has confronted and challenged issues of identity
and belonging.
The text offers a comprehensive and unique perspective on disaster risk associated with natural hazards. It covers a wide range of topics, reflecting the most recent debates but also older and pioneering discussions in the academic field of disaster studies as well as in the policy and practical areas of disaster risk reduction (DRR). This book will be of particular interest to undergraduate students studying geography and environmental studies/science. It will also be of relevance to students/professionals from a wide range of social and physical science disciplines, including public health and public policy, sociology, anthropology, political science and geology.
Dissident Geographies is a lively and accessible exploration of radical perspectives in human geography, spanning anarchism, marxism, feminism, sexual politics and postcolonialism. While some of these radical views are well established bodies of thought in geography, others are relatively new. Dissident Geographies seeks to contextualise these radical ideas and traditions, situating them in the places where they have developed, before looking at the implications they have for geographical thought and practice. The book has two main aims. First, Dissident Geographies introduces a number of geographical traditions that challenge and destabilise what counts as geographical knowledge. Second, the book shows how the production of geographical knowledge is tied to politics and struggles outside, as well as within, the academy. Dissident Geographies traces the spatiality of political practice and the politics of geographical thought, revealing the connections between power, politics and geographical knowledge. The book has two main aims. First, rather than reify 'the' geographical tradition, Dissident Geographies introduces a number of geographical traditions that challenge and destabiliz
This volume considers leisure/tourism as an encounter. An encounter that exists between people, between people and space and between people and their expectations, experiences and desires. The contributors explore diverse aspects of leisure and tourism, ranging from the methodologies behind leisure practices to detailed case studies including: Disneyland, Paris; tourism in sacred landscapes; leisure practices in cyberspace; leisure and yachting; use of recreational/holiday cottages; National Parks; and local parks and gardens. Presenting a mix of attitudes and ideas concerning leisure and tourism, this book documents a debate, placing geography at its centre.
As the world undergoes rapid technological and economic change, so
too the role and functions of the State are being challenged. There
are those who argue that that the nation state has come to an end
and that we are entering a new phase in the territorial ordering of
the world system. Others hold that boundaries have disappeared and
that a globalized world has no need or use for artificial,
man-made, territorial barriers.
How do drugs get to the market? What controls are there and what procedures for monitoring their effects? And how adequate are the regulators in protecting public health when new drugs have serious side effects? The Therapeutic Nightmare tells the story of the sleeping pill Halcion - a story which is far from over. First marketed in the 1970s, Halcion has been taken by millions of patients around the world. For many years it has been associated with serious adverse effects such as amnesia, hallucinations, aggression and, in extreme cases, homicide. Thirteen years after its first release, it was banned by the British government. It remains on sale in the United States and many other countries. This book explains why patients have come to be exposed to Halcion's risks and examines the corporate interests of the manufacturers, the professional interests of the scientists and medical researchers and the interests of patients in safe and effective medication. It reveals how these contending forces shape the regulatory decision-making process about drug safety. As the number of new drugs and health products grows, a major challenge facing regulators and the medical profession is how to put the interests of public health decisively and consistently above the commercial interests of the drugs industry, while becoming more accountable to patient and consumer organizations.
This study explores the roots of the Sino-Indian border dispute and proposes a settlement that might be acceptable to both China and India. Lu provides the historical perspective necessary for a complete understanding of the problem, beginning with the seventh century, when China and Tibet first made contact. He argues that a settlement of the dispute is necessary not only for the peace of the Indian subcontinent but for other parts of the world as well. He explains why and how Great Britain came to be involved in Sino-Tibetan relations and pays particular attention to the failure of the Simla Conference of 1913-1914 between Britain, China, and Tibet to define a common boundary between China and India. The author explores Indian involvement in Sino-Tibetan relations and why India intervened against China's reoccupation of Tibet. He traces the border incidents and military clashes between China and India and the failure of the two powers to negotiate a settlement of their differences. Finally, he discusses the Sino-Indian border dispute from the perspectives of international law, effective occupation, and watershed. In conclusion, he offers some reasonable, practical measures based on international law and political reality that could be taken to settle the border dispute.
This text is designed to be used on its own, or as a companion volume to the accompanying "American Cities and Technology Reader". Chronologically, this volume ranges from 1790, when the first US census reported 5 percent of the population living in urban areas, to 1990, when 75 percent of the American population lived in urban areas. Geographically, its focus is the continental USA. However, the context for the study of modern electronic communications in relation to cities transcends national boundaries just as the technologies themselves do; consequently the contents of the last two chapters in the volume range more widely around the globe. Among the issues discussed are the rise of the skyscraper, the coming of the automobile age, relations between private and public transport, the development of infrastructural technologies and systems, the implications of electronic communications and the emergence of city planning.
This book studies the recent legacy of basti "evictions" in Delhi-mass clearings of some of the city's poorest neighborhoods as a way to understand how the urban poor are disenfranchised in the name of "public interest" and, in the case of Delhi, by the very courts meant to empower and protect them. Studying bastis, says Gautam Bhan, provokes six clear lines of inquiry applicable to studies of urbanism across the global south. The first is the long-standing debate over urban informality and illegality: the debate's impact on conceptions and practices of urban planning, the production of space, and the regulation of value. The second is a set of debates on "good governance," read through their intersections with ideas of "planned development" within rapidly transforming cities. The third is the political field of urban citizenship and the possibilities of substantive rights and belonging in the city. The fourth is resistance and the ability of a city's subaltern residents to struggle against exclusion. The two remaining inquiries both cut across and unify the first four. One of these is the role of the judiciary and the relationships between law and urbanism in cities of the global south. The other is the relationship between democracy and inequality in the city. What emerges about Delhi in particular is a multilayered double standard in attention to, and enforcement of, property laws. Rights are lost, citizenship is unequal and differentiated, the promise of development is refused, and poverty and inequality are reproduced and deepened. The task at hand, says Bhan, is not just to explain evictions but also to listen to what they are telling us about "the city that is as well as the city that can be." |
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