Political geography / Mark Blacksell.

By: Blacksell, Mark, 1942- [author.]Material type: TextTextSeries: Routledge contemporary human geography seriesLondon ; New York : Routledge, 2006©2006 Description: xii, 244 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cmContent type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 0415246679 (hardcover : alk. paper)Subject(s): Political geographyLOC classification: JC319 .B53 2006Online resources: Table of contents Table of contents | Publisher description Publisher description | Table of contents Table of contents | Publisher description Publisher description
Contents:
Placing political geography -- Human territoriality, maps, and the division of space -- The idea of the state -- Making states work: the variety of local state systems -- The politics of difference -- Civil society, pressure groups, and political parties -- Electoral geographies -- Imagining natural divisions of global power -- Dreams into action: the making of national foreign policy -- Annexing the oceans -- Globalisation and the theory of world systems -- International government and the modern state -- Conclusion: the shape of things to come.
Summary: In 1904 Sir Halford Mackinder published his seminal paper The Geographical Pivot of History demonstrating the central position of political geography in the study of geography as a whole; a century later and political geography is still at the heart of human geography. Yet over time political geography has experienced many significant ups and downs, eventually recovering to a position of renewed pre-eminence as the last century drew to a close. This fascinating journey, charted by this equally fascinating book, forms a key part of the history of the evolution of spatial science. Beyond a narrative, the book provides an introduction to all the complex elements that constitute political geography today. Organized in three distinct sections, it covers: process and patterns ideology and geopolitical visions beyond the state. Tackling key contemporary issues (such as politics and the local state), as well as more traditional topics (such as state formation and international relations), this thought-provoking book covers the range of theoretical approaches. Including many original maps and diagrams which skilfully illustrate key themes, this book is a concise, student-friendly, pedagogically rich introduction for students of geography, political science and world affairs.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [218]-230) and index.

Placing political geography -- Human territoriality, maps, and the division of space -- The idea of the state -- Making states work: the variety of local state systems -- The politics of difference -- Civil society, pressure groups, and political parties -- Electoral geographies -- Imagining natural divisions of global power -- Dreams into action: the making of national foreign policy -- Annexing the oceans -- Globalisation and the theory of world systems -- International government and the modern state -- Conclusion: the shape of things to come.

In 1904 Sir Halford Mackinder published his seminal paper The Geographical Pivot of History demonstrating the central position of political geography in the study of geography as a whole; a century later and political geography is still at the heart of human geography. Yet over time political geography has experienced many significant ups and downs, eventually recovering to a position of renewed pre-eminence as the last century drew to a close. This fascinating journey, charted by this equally fascinating book, forms a key part of the history of the evolution of spatial science. Beyond a narrative, the book provides an introduction to all the complex elements that constitute political geography today. Organized in three distinct sections, it covers: process and patterns ideology and geopolitical visions beyond the state. Tackling key contemporary issues (such as politics and the local state), as well as more traditional topics (such as state formation and international relations), this thought-provoking book covers the range of theoretical approaches. Including many original maps and diagrams which skilfully illustrate key themes, this book is a concise, student-friendly, pedagogically rich introduction for students of geography, political science and world affairs.

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