Radicalism in geography

Radicalism

Introduction:

Radicalism is a kind of philosophical thinking that changes the old view. Radical geography came into being in the middle 1960s as a result of political & social movements in U.S.A. Social movements against inequality in societies resulted from mass consumerism & capitalism, racism, unequal treatment on women & minority groups, & environment pollution.

Definition:

Radicalism means revolution or progressive & is used to denote a new kind of intellectuals not only in terms of class origin & political commitment but as agents practicing their daily lives – that is, thinking, doing research & teaching in new ways.

Origin:

The origin of the radical geography movement can be traced to the late 1960s, especially in the USA with three political issues:

      i.         The Vietnam War,

     ii.         Civil rights (especially of the American Blacks),

   iii.         The pervasive poverty & inequality suffered by the residents of urban ghettos.

Salient Features & Objectives:

The salient features and objectives of radical geography were:

      i.         To expose the issues of inequality, deprivation, discrimination, health, exploitation, crime and environmental degradation in the capitalist countries.

     ii.         To highlight the weaknesses of the positivism and quantitative revolution in geography which emphasized on geography as a ‘spatial science’ with a thrust on locational analysis.

   iii.         To bring a cultural revolution to eradicate permissiveness, sexism and discrimination against females.

   iv.         To remove regional inequalities.

     v.         Radicalists opposed political centralization and economic concentration.

   vi.         They were against imperialism, nationalism, national chauvinism and racism.

  vii.         They opposed the idea of the superiority of the white and the west.

viii.         According to radicalists the man and environment relationship may be understood through history.

   ix.         They tried to explain not only what is happen­ing but also to prescribe revolutionary changes and solution to the social problems.

     x.         To develop a more just, equal, tension free, peaceful and enjoyable society.

Radical Geographers:

      i.         William Bunge

     ii.         David Harvey

Merits:

      i.         It helps to expose the issues of inequality, deprivation, discrimination, health, exploitation, crime and environmental degradation in the capitalist countries.

     ii.         To highlight the weaknesses of the positivism and quantitative revolution in geography which emphasized on geography as a ‘spatial science’ with a thrust on locational analysis.

   iii.         To bring a cultural revolution to eradicate permissiveness, sexism and discrimination against females.

   iv.         It helps to remove regional inequalities.

Demerits:

      i.         The theoretical base of the paradigm was weak.

     ii.         Radical geography was radical in topics and politics but not in theory or method of analysis.

   iii.         They gave over-weightage to Marxism.

   iv.         The radicalists gave priority to time over space.

Fig: Merits of Radicalism in Geography                Fig:  Demerits of Radicalism in Geography

Conclusion:

Finally, we can say Radicalism geography was able to stir up controversy not only North America but also between geographers in Europe. In fact, quality & quantitative connections about people, countries & place & environment are needed.

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