The Problematique of the Human-Place Relationship in Human Geography: A Critical Theoretical Approach
Keywords:
الجغرافيا البشرية، الجغرافيا النقدية، إنتاج الفضاء، الحتمية البيئيةAbstract
This research examines the problematique of the human-place relationship within human geography, adopting a critical theoretical perspective to deconstruct and analyze its transformations. The study posits that geographical thought has undergone an epistemological rupture, shifting from perceiving place as a neutral container for human activity or a natural given, to understanding it as a complex social product governed by power relations and conflict. The study aims to trace the theoretical evolution of the human-place relationship across major geographical schools, analyze the philosophical and sociological foundations of contemporary critical geography, and assess its epistemological contribution compared to descriptive and empirical approaches. Employing a critical comparative analysis of foundational texts, the study focuses on the contributions of Lefebvre's "production of space," Harvey's critical Marxist geography, and the analyses of power and space by Soja and Foucault. The study concludes that the human-place relationship is a complex dialectic that transcends simple mutual influence, and that the critical approach successfully reveals the ideological and authoritarian dimensions inherent in the production and organization of space. It affirms that place is not a neutral arena for social action but a historical product and a site for the reproduction of social relations. Finally, it stresses the necessity of formulating a critical Arab approach that moves beyond the importation of concepts to their contextualization within the realities of Arab cities and societies.
References
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