List of Figures xiii List of Plates xv List of Maps xvi List of Tables xvii Acknowledgements xviii Preface xxi 1 A Concise Introduction to Human Geography 1 Chapter Learning Objectives 1 Introduction 2 Becoming Conscious of Your Geographical Imagination 2 What is Human Geography? 4 The Rise, Reign, and Faltering of Western Civilization from the Fifteenth Century in the Making of the Modern World 6 How to Read This Book 12 Conclusion 15 Checklist of Key Ideas 16 Chapter Essay Questions 16 References 16 Guidance for Further Reading 17 2 Human Geography: A Brief History 19 Chapter Learning Objectives 19 Introduction 20 A Framework for Studying the History of Geography 20 Human Geography in the Premodern Era 22 Human Geography in the Modern Era 24 Early modern period 25 Modern period 26 Late modern period 29 Human Geography in the Postmodern Era 33 Postmodern Human Geography 33 Human Geography and Big Data 35 Conclusion 37 Checklist of Key Ideas 37 Chapter Essay Questions 38 References 39 Guidance for Further Reading 39 3 Watersheds in Human History: Humanity''s Triumph over Nature? 41 Chapter Learning Objectives 41 Introduction 42 First Watershed: The Origins of the Human Species 43 Second Watershed: First Migrations and the Peopling of the Planet 46 Third Watershed: The Development of Human Culture and Invention of Settled Agriculture 49 Fourth Watershed: The Rise and Fall of Civilizations 55 Great civilizations in world history 55 Why do civilizations rise and fall? 57 Environmental History and the Rise of the West from the Tenth Century bce 61 Conclusion 64 Checklist of Key Ideas 65 Chapter Essay Questions 66 References 66 Guidance for Further Reading 67 4 An Unequal but Changing World: Geographies of the World Capitalist Economy 68 Chapter Learning Objectives 69 Introduction 69 An Unequal but Changing World 70 The Old International Division of Labor (OIDL): Wallerstein''s World-Systems Analysis 72 Crises in the Core: The 1970s as a Turning Point in World History? 78 Two Responses to Crises in the Core 81 The New International Division of Labor (NIDL) 81 The post-Fordist economy 82 Three Emerging Economic Spaces: Consolidating the Core or Rebalancing in Favor of the Semi-periphery and Periphery? 84 World cities 84 High-technology clusters 87 The Tiger economies of Southeast Asia 88 The Future of the Ultra-periphery: The UNDP Millennium Development Goals 91 Conclusion 94 Checklist of Key Ideas 95 Chapter Essay Questions 95 References 96 Guidance for Further Reading 96 5 The Rise and Fall of Great Powers: Nation States, Empires, and Geopolitics 98 Chapter Learning Objectives 98 Introduction 99 The Political Geography of Rule 99 The ideas of the sovereign state, nations, and nation states 99 The demise of the nation state and rise of a new era of multilevel governance 103 Geopolitics and International Relations 107 The rise and fall of European empires 107 The European colonial (mis)adventure in Africa 113 The Cold War 118 The clash of civilizations? 124 Conclusion 129 Checklist of Key Ideas 129 Chapter Essay Questions 130 References 131 Guidance for Further Reading 131 6 The West in the Cultural Landscape: On Civilized Spaces and Unruly Places 133 Chapter Learning Objectives 133 Introduction 134 Culture in the Rise of the West 134 A brief introduction to Western culture 134 Ferguson''s "cultural" explanation for the rise of the West 136 Cultural Geography and the Study of Western Culture 139 New Cultural Geography and the myth that West is best 139 The West in the cultural landscape 142 Civilizing Missions and Culture Wars: Civilized Spaces and Unruly Places 142 Spaces of utopia and dystopia in the Western imagination 142 One-dimensional space: the West''s identikit worlds 148 The Western frontier and places beyond the pale 149 Conclusion 155 Checklist of Key Ideas 155 Chapter Essay Questions 156 References 156 Guidance for Further Reading 157 7 The Modern Rise in World Population from 1750 158 Chapter Learning Objectives 158 Introduction 159 Origins of the Demographic Transition Model 160 Stages in the Demographic Transition Model 162 Geography of Demographic Transitions 164 Demographic transitions in history 164 Demographic transitions yet to unfold 165 The Demographic Transition Model and Mortality Decline 168 Explaining mortality decline 168 Policies for improved global health 174 The Demographic Transition Model and Fertility Decline 175 Explaining fertility decline 175 Policies for lowering and increasing fertility levels 176 Demographic Transition: The Case of China from 1949 179 Conclusion 184 Checklist of Key Ideas 185 Chapter Essay Questions 185 References 186 Guidance for Further Reading 186 8 A Planet in Distress? Humanity''s War on the Earth 188 Chapter Learning Objectives 188 Introduction 189 Population Pessimists: The Earth''s Carrying Capacity, Overshoot, and Collapse 189 Population Optimists: Population, the Ultimate Resource 197 Population Neutralists: Political Ecology, Society, and Nature 198 Climate Change: The Battleground for the Twenty-First Century? 205 Conclusion 211 Checklist of Key Ideas 211 Chapter Essay Questions 212 References 212 Guidance for Further Reading 213 9 Homo Urbanus: Urbanization and Urban Form from 1800 215 Chapter Learning Objectives 216 Introduction 216 Capitalism and the Urbanization of the Surface of the Earth 217 Urbanization and Urban Form: The Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Industrial City 218 This rise of homo urbanus in Europe from 1800 218 Capitalism and the emergence of the industrial city 219 Modeling the form of the industrial city 220 Voices of Decline: the death of the industrial city? 222 Toward a New Era of Planetary Urbanization 225 Urbanization trends 1950-2050 226 Los Angeles: our postmetropolis future? 228 Megalopolis: the rise of urban galaxies? 230 Planet of slums: megacities in the Global South 232 The Chinese Experience of Urbanization 233 Conclusion 236 Checklist of Key Ideas 237 Chapter Essay Questions 237 References 238 Guidance for Further Reading 238 10 Global Migration: Moving, Settling, Staying Connected 240 Chapter Learning Objectives 240 Introduction 241 Great Diasporas in Human History 241 International Migration Today 244 Global South to Global South 247 Global South to Global North 247 Global North to Global North 250 Global North to Global South 250 Assimilating and Integrating into Host Societies 251 The Impacts of Migration on Sending States and Host Countries 258 Conclusion 262 Checklist of Key Ideas 263 Chapter Essay Questions 263 References 264 Guidance for Further Reading 264 11 At Risk: Society and Natural Hazards 266 Chapter Learning Objectives 266 Introduction 267 Gilbert White: Pioneering Human Geographical Interest in Natural Hazards 268 There is Nothing Natural about Natural Disasters: Risk = Exposure × Vulnerability (R = E × V) 270 Mapping the World at Risk 273 Toward a Safer Future: Resilience, Transition, and Transformation 276 Hazards and their impacts 1900-2011 276 The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 283 Conclusion 289 Checklist of Key Ideas 289 Chapter Essay Questions 290 References 290 Guidance for Further Reading 291 12 Toward a Postcolonial Human Geography 292 Chapter Learning Objectives 292 Introduction 293 Explanation in Human Geography: Four Stories of the West and the World 294 Toward a Postcolonial Human Geography 297 Conclusion 299 Checklist of Key Ideas 300 Chapter Essay Questions 300 References 300 Guidance for Further Reading 301 Glossary 302 List of Abbreviations 312 Index 314.