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Chapter
NATURE AND SCOPE OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
DEFINITION OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Q.1 Ans. Ans. •
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Q.2 Q.2 Ans. Ans.
Def Define ine the conc conce ept of Human uman Geogr ograph aphy. Mentio ntion n the nat nature ure of Human geography. Huma Human n geog geogra raph phy y stud studie ies: s: “The “The relati relations onship hip betwee between n the physic physical/ al/nat natura urall and the human human worlds, The spatial distributions of human phenomena and How they come about, the social and economic differences between different parts of the world”. What What is is the the core core con conce cern rn of of geog geogra raph phy y as a disc discip ipli line ne? ? The core core conc concern ern of of geogra geography phy is is to under understa stand nd the the earth earth as as home home of human beings and to study all those elements which have sustained them.
DUALISM / DIACHOTOMY in HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Q.3 Q.3 Ans. Ans.
Q.4 Q.4 Ans. i. ii. iii. iv. iv. v. vi. vii. vii. viii viii..
Ment Mentio ion n the the any three three dual dualis ism m in geog geogra raph phy y whic which h starte started d wide-r wide-ran angi ging ng debates in the discipline of geography. The thr three ee duali dualism sm in geogr geograph aphy y which which starte started d wide-ra wide-rangi nging ng debate debatess in the discipline of geography are: a. Whether geography as a discipline should be a law making/theorising (nomothetic) or descriptive (idiographic). b. Whether approach of the study should be regional or systematic ? c. Whethe Whetherr geogra geographi phical cal phenom phenomena ena be interp interpret reted ed theoretically or through historic-institutional approach? Stat State e any any six six exam exampl ples es of metap metapho hors rs used used to descr describ ibe e the the phys physic ical al and and human phenomena. They are: ‘face’ of the earth, ‘eye’ of the storm, ‘mouth’ of the river, ‘snou snout’ t’ (nose nose)) of of the the gla glacier cier,, ‘neck’ of the isthmus ‘profile’ of the soil. region regions, s, vill village ages, s, towns towns have have been been descr describe ibed d as ‘organ ‘organism isms’. s’. Netw Networ orks ks of road, road, rail railwa ways ys and wate waterr ways are are descr describ ibed ed as “arte “arteri ries es of circulation”.
Naturalization of Humans or Environmental determinism determinism Q.5 Descri Describe be impo importa rtant nt feat feature uress of the concep conceptt of Natu Natuali alisat sation ion of Huma Humans. ns. OR State the important characteristics of environmental determinism approach of study of human geography. Ans. Ans. Enviro Environme nmenta ntall deter determin minist istic ic appro approach ach states states that: that: a. Environmen Environmentt controls controls human actions and activitie activities. s. Humans Humans were directly dependent on the natural environment. Page 1 of 2
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[The elements of physical are environment landforms, soils, climate, water, natural vegetation and diverse flora and fauna. The elements of socio-cultural environment are Houses, villages, cities, road-rail networks, industries, farms, ports and items of our daily use which are created by human beings using the resources provided by the physical environment.]
b. Humans were not free and they adapted according to the nature. c. Humans were naturalized they were afraid of natural forces. d. It states that human history, culture, life style, and stages of development are influenced by the physical environment like climate, soil, relief, etc. e. It considers human as passive agents, whose attitude, decision making is influenced by physical environment. f. Example: the life of nomads or tribal people living in mountains or forests. Humanisation of Nature or Possibilism Q.6 Describe important features of the concept of Humanisation of Nature. OR State the important characteristics of possibilism approach of human geography. Ans. Possibilistic approach states that: a. Humans were free to choose/decide. Nature did not control him. b. The nature provided/offered opportunities/possibilities for humans to exploit it for their benefits. c. It considered humans as active agents rather than a passive one. d. It’s the technology, attitude, habits, values of humans which influenced its action not the nature. e. The nature got humanized. Neodeterminism or Stop and Go determinism. Q.7 State the important characteristics of concept of neodeterminism approach of human geography. OR Which approach in the study of human geography was followed by Griffith Taylor? State two characteristics of this approach. Ans. Griffith Taylor introduced the concept of neodeterminism of stop and go determinism . It states that: a. Neither is there a situation of absolute necessity (environmental determinism) nor is there a condition of absolute freedom (possibilism). b. It states that nature has provided possibilities and scope for development but also put limits on it. c. It means that human beings can conquer nature by obeying it. They can continue in their pursuit of development when nature permits. d. The neo-determinism conceptually attempts to bring a balance nullifying the ‘either’ ‘or’ dichotomy.
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