Environmental Basis of Social Geography

Cultural and Social Geography

Social geography: participatory research

This second of three reviews of action-orientated research in social geography focuses on one area of this work which is thriving. Moving, like many good ideas, from the field conventionally viewed as ‘development’ to wider application, participatory research (PR) has seen rapid expansion in recent years (see Breitbart, 2003; Kesby et al., 2004; Pratt, 2000). It has particular attractions for s...

Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability

In this introduction to the Special Issue on Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability, the links between a variety of physical landscapes located throughout the world and long-term wellbeing are considered from a systems approach. Twelve papers were published as part of this call, with half from Asia, especially China. They represent a contribution across topographic landscapes, from...

The Social Geography of McDonaldization

Ifocus in . . . this article on the social geography . . . of the McDonaldization of society. This, of course, is based on Max Weber’s famous work on rationalization and his vision of the social world as being increasingly encased in an “iron cage” of rationalization. This metaphor can be interpreted in various ways, but one that has not been explored systematically is from the perspective of s...

People participation, basis of social development

Social development undoubtedly requires people participation in different domains. It seems without participation, we cannot achieve a people-centered, inclusive and sustainable social development. In the social development process, all citizens with various ethnic and religious interests are able to affect on all the social phenomena and variables, based on their competencies and mental capaci...