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Evolution of Geographical Thought BOOK REVIEW

Dikshit , R.D. (2011) Geographical Thought: A Contextual History of Ideas ,PHI Learning Private Limited, New Delhi, Pages 307 , Rs. 225/-

In the sequel to “Geographical Thought: A Contextual History of Ideas”, R.D. DIKSHIT traces the birth of modern geography towards the end of 18th century - age of Humboldt. It covers the entire spectrum of geography's intellectual history, with a particular emphasis on the history of ideas in the modern period.

It begins with a lucid and comprehensive interaction on the first foundations of geography and the contribution of Greeks and Arabs on the age of exploration and, by extension, the study of geography. Dikshit thus proceeds, tracing mostly a linear path along a chronological axis – an elaborate discussion on Humboldt, Ritter and Reclus and Guyot.It also discusses the developments in Germany in context of the emerging crisis of Identity in the discipline during the post 1859 period with a focus on the study of man and environment systems in ecological /regional /chronological terms.

In the latter part of the book there are discussions on post 1859 development in France, Britain, Russia and the United States. It also discusses the rise of historical and applied geography, development since World War 2 and the shift in focus from aerial to spatial analysis in geographical work.It examines the impact of evolutionary biology and geographical thought on geography and environmentalism it explores modern vs. postmodern geographies and concludes with gauging the progress since World War 2. . R.D dikshit provides a breezy panoramic view of major Scholars and thinkers against the backdrop of their contemporary socio-economic, cultural and intellectual crosscurrents and each chapter is fluent in weaving context, phases of development and societal problems of the day. It emphasizes the development of problems and theories in the context of the social and intellectual environment in which the protagonists of these theories had lived and worked. It provides an Insight into the past development which provides the foreground for understanding later development in concept and methodology.

Where the book majorly mirrors its predecessor, it has been updated with 5 new chapters, to add contemporary approach to the subject. After each chapter, there is a list of references.

Though the book offers intelligent insights into the history of ideas in geography, it is not an in-depth study of any of them.. It must also be stressed that it is not written in an easy and straightforward style and lacks diagrammatic representation and map work. The sectioning of topics is not up to the mark with minor editing errors. The topics are mostly presented in paragraph format with no sub -topics for major scholars. Despite the fact that it professes to be a self-contained work, it requires extra support.

It is successful in giving the reader a thoughtful introduction to crucial concepts of history through the prism of geography. It is crisp, coherent and well rounded....