Human Geography

This book explains the branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction. It encompasses human, political, cultural, social, and economic aspects of the social sciences. While the major focus of human geography is not the physical landscape of the Earth, we cannot discuss human geography without also studying the physical landscape on which human activities are being played out. Human geography is methodologically diverse, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including case studies, survey research, statistical analysis, and model building. As explained within this book, a human geographer might be concerned with the geographic patterns of communicable diseases, school performance in rural versus urban school districts, or the rise of innovative technology clusters.Selected Contents: Introduction; What is a Culture?; Culture: A Geographical Perspective; The Role of Geography in Human Adaptation; Biodiversity, Traditional Medicine and Public Health: Where Do They Meet?; Urban Ecological Stewardship: Understanding the Structure, Function and Network of Community-Based Urban Land Management; Where Heart and Home Reside: Changing Constructions of Place and Identity; Geography of a Hidden Cultural Heritage: Camel Wrestles in Western Anatolia; Urban Transformation in Slum Districts Through Public Space Generation and Cable Transportation at Northeastern Area: Medellin, Colombia; State, Power and Space; An Uneasy Alliance? Tracing the Relationships Between Cultural and Feminist Geographies; A Spatial Evaluation of Socio Demographics Surrounding National Priorities List Sites in Florida Using a Distance-Based Approach; Changes in Farmers' Knowledge of Maize Diversity in Highland Guatemala, 1927/37 and 2004; Oil for Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Health Systems in a 'Resource Curse' Environment; Glossary; Index