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Social geography: Nature and Scope
Meaning
The term "Social Geography" was perhaps introduced by Vallaux in 1908 through his work "Geographic Sociale: La Mer," where it was used as a synonym for Human Geography. The term “Social Geography” was used by French sociologists of the Le Play School by 1884 and, perhaps independently, by the geographer Elisee Reclus in 1895. Social geography is a sub branch of Human Geography that focuses on the social dimensions of human activities and interactions with the physical environment. it is concerned with how social and cultural factors shape the spatial patterns and structures of human societies. social geography is concerned with the social dimensions of space and place, the distribution of social and economic inequalities and the construction and expression of social identity in different spatial contexts. The dominant themes of social geography are Social Space, Social Hierarchy, Social Pattern and Social Problems. Social geography is of recent origin. Although this idea existed from the time of Strabo and Herodotus, yet it assumed an identity only very recently in 1945. Eyles visualised social geography as a continuation of the philosophy of Vidal de la blache and Bobek.
Definitions
✓ Bobek (1959) and Van Passen (1965) “an idea that social elements could be systematized in to a general framework for geographical analysis”. ✓ Buttimer (1968) “the study of the a real (spatial) patterns and functional relations of social groups in the context of their social environment; the internal structure and external relations of the nodes of social activity, and articulation of various channels of social communication.” ✓ Watson (1957) "the identification of different regions of Earth's surface according to associations of social phenomena related to the total environment." ✓ Pahl (1965) "the study of the patterns and processes in understanding socially defined populations in a spatial setting". ✓ Jones (1975) “the understanding of the patterns which arise from the use social groups make of space as they see it, and of the processes involved in making and changing such patterns.” ✓ Johnston (1981) "the study of consumption, whether by individuals or by groups." ✓ Eyles (1974) “geography as the analysis of social patterns and processes arising from the distribution of and access to scarce resources and an examination of the social causes of and suggested solutions to social and environmental problems”. ✓ W. Fitzgerald (1946) “social geography studied 'spatial arrangement of social Phenomena, which are of significance to man'. ✓ T. Harrison (1946) “social geography is not a systematic treatment of society in relation with environment but a 'genetic description of social differences' as they relate to other factors and to differences in areas on the earth's surface”. ✓ David Harvey (1973) “sub-discipline that ‘addresses itself both to the spatial expression of institutions as witnessed by the incidence of inequality, poverty, racism and exploitation; and to the active role of space in influencing these social structures.” ✓ C. Hamnett (1996) “Social Geography is primarily concerned with the study of geography of social structure, social activities and social groups across a wide range of human societies.”
Nature of Social Geography
➢ Multidisciplinary: Social geography draws on insights and methods from various fields to understand the complex relationship between society and space.
➢ Focus on social construction of space: Social geography examines how social relations, cultural values, and political institutions shape the use and meaning of space. ➢ Interaction between society and space: Social geography is concerned with how social processes and relationships are expressed in physical space. ➢ Examination of spatial patterns and structures: Social geography explores the ways in which social and cultural factors shape the spatial patterns and structures of human societies. ➢ Emphasis on social identity: Social geography examines how social identity is constructed and expressed in different spatial contexts. ➢ Attention to social and economic inequalities: Social geography considers how social and economic inequalities are distributed across different places. ➢ Analytical: Social geography uses a variety of analytical tools and methods to study the relationship between society and space. ➢ Applied nature: Social geography has practical applications in areas such as urban planning, resource management, and social policy.
Scope of Social Geography
➢ Study of Social Interactions and its relations: Dealing with the relation of social phenomena and its spatial components. According to Panopio (1937), Social interaction refers to the mutual inter stimulation and response between two or more persons and groups through symbols, language, gestures and expression of ideas. Social Interaction is the foundation of society. Social Interaction has different form of Interactions such as between individual to individual, between individual to groups, between groups to groups and between individual and culture. ➢ Study of Man and Society: Society is formed from group of people. Man and Society are correlated to each other. ➢ Study of Society and Environment: A social Environment includes the values, beliefs, customs and practices of a group of people. ➢ Study of Society and Cultural: Culture consist of the beliefs, behaviours, objects, and other characteristics common to the member of a particular group and society. ➢ Study about Social Organization: A social organization is a pattern of relationship between among individuals and social groups. The characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, infrastructure, division of labour, communication system. ➢ Address Social Problems: It includes crime, poverty, domestic violence, war and racism etc. ➢ Social Planning: is about creating and organizing programs to improve communities. ➢ Formulation of Social Policies: Rules and guidelines set by governments or organizations to address social issues and distribute resources.
Historical Development of Social Geography
Early Phase
So far, the history goes, it implied the two-fold work of Herodotus, Thucydides, Strabo and others that social life takes, various forms in different parts of the world and that their differences are caused by or at least are associated with differences in physical-climatic-environment chain.
Second Phase (Age of Renaissance / Age of Geographical Discoveries)
During the 13th to 14th centuries, in the context of social geography, two key approaches emerged are Deductive Speculative Approach focused on applying broad, theoretical ideas to specific cases, often based on philosophical reasoning rather than empirical evidence and Inductive Possibilistic Approach emphasized observing specific cases and building broader generalizations, acknowledging that various outcomes.
- Anthropology: both study culture and social identity.
- Economics: study of social and economic inequality and social well-being.
- Political Science: both explore the ways in which political institutions and power structures shape social outcomes.
- Psychology: both explore the ways in which social phenomena affect individual behaviour and experience.
- History: history tends to focus on the historical development of specific societies, social geography is more concerned with the contemporary spatial patterns and structures of society.
Approaches in Social Geography
(A) Holistic approaches: It is found that the social geographers in the past relied more on holistic deterministic and holistic possibilistic approaches. In the holistic approach the whole society of an area is taken as a unit. A common example of the holistic deterministic approach is to consider the society of a monsoon land as a society of subsistent cultivators. In the holistic possibilistic approach we refer to the actions of the society of an area and their influence on environment. The deliberations here are, especially on those actions which have contributed to creating congenial conditions for human life. Vidal de La Blache (1925), Hartshorne (1939), Gilbert and Sleet (1945), Robinson (1953), Smith (1965), Wrigley (1965), et al wrote a vast literature pertaining to social geography from these premises. (B) Action-oriented approach: It mainly focuses on what people do and how they interact with each other. (C) Grouped based approach: It should be noted that social groups again vary in size. However, for the purpose of social geographical studies, a broad two-level categorisation seems appropriate. On the one level, we have the primary group or group in-mind, and on the other, the secondary group or group by association. The primary group is characterised by informal, personal, face-to-face contact between members and is a vital component of a society. Thus, the family is a primary group. Similarly, a neighbourhood group or a clan or a tribe is also a primary group. Such primary groups make up the important social units within a large society. It should be realised that with the economic and social changes of the modern world, societal complexities have increased. Next, coming to the secondary group, we find that some people group together to achieve certain ends. Such secondary groups are further divided into three sub-groups: Type of Group Description Examples Ascribed Group People come together because they share a similar background or goals. Immigrant groups, language groups, religious groups Expressive Group People join for fun or to enjoy activities together. Clubs, hobby groups, social societies Materialist Group People join to achieve practical benefits, like money or power. Trade unions, business groups, political parties
Difference between Community and Society
Aspect Community Society Size and Scope Smaller in scale, specific geographic location, frequent face-to-face interactions, shared sense of belonging Larger and more complex, not restricted to a specific location, encompasses various communities, includes direct and indirect connections Nature of Relationships More personal and intimate, regular interactions, people know each other well More formal and less personal, indirect connections through broader social structures and institutions Purpose and Function Focuses on shared interests, values, or goals within a specific area, provides social support and identity Encompasses broader interactions and institutions (economic, political, cultural), organizes and regulates complex interactions Examples Neighbourhood, religious group, local club Nation, global network of businesses, international organization
References
1. Some early occurrences of the term “social geography.” (2024). Scottish Geographical _Magazine. https://doi.org/10.1080//
- Mr Introdent. (2023). Social Geography| Meaning, Nature And Scope And Relation With_ Other Social Sciences [Youtube Video]. In Youtube. _https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aD1PzFClXk&t=826s
- Meaning of social geography. (n.d.)._ _https://jagiroadcollegelive.co.in/attendence/classnotes/files/1699107970.pdf
- Artist, R. (2021). concept, origin, nature and scope of social geography in easy notes in_ English [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1n9hy0dqJY
