Study Material For B A III Geography Hons

Study Material For B. A. III: Geography ( Hons. ) Paper: V Geographical Thought and Three Southern Continents Unit-2 Concept of Possibilism Prepared by: Dr. Vinita Prasad Asst. Professor Department of Geography A. N. College (PPU), Patna

Introduction ●The concept of possibilism was developed France in 19 th century and is also known cultural landscape approach. Possibilism considered as a distinct approach geographical knowledge directly oppose environmental determinism. in as is to to ● It was initiated by Paul Vidal De la Blashe (18451918) and Jean Brunhes (1869 -1930). It was latter adopted by American Geographers, including Carl Sauer (1888 -1975) and Robert Platt (1880 -1950).

● The supporter of Possibilism rejected the idea that physical factors determine human actions. They argued that each place has its own distinctive landscape that result from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes. Everything in the landscape is interrelated. ● Vidal de La blache and his followers laid stress on possibilism and declared that man is not a passive agent ruled by the forces of nature which play their role and determine man’s destiny and shape human society. The natural environment offers possible avenues for human development, the precise one chosen being very much a human decision”. ● Thus in Possibilism man is seen as an active force rather than a passive being.

Concept of Possibilism and Paul Vidal de la Blache (1845 -1918) ● Paul Vidal de la Blache studied the interrelations between people’s activities and their physical environment and put the foundation of Possibilism and in turn French human geography. ● Blache proposed that environment establishes limits on culture, but does not completely define culture.

● He explained that people are not passive rather are active agents of environment. They act within the limits laid by nature and apply their skill and technology to modify their surroundings to meet their needs. ● But it does not mean that people are free to determine their own directions, there exists a ongoing dialogue between natural environments and the human communities/ milieu/ civilizations, which is the cause of wide variation in genres de vie i. e. lifestyles of people evolving distinctive culture in particular places.

Vidal de La Blache, pointed out the cultural differences are seen in communities living in the same or similar environment and concluded that these differences are not due to the dictates of physical environment but owing to the variation in attitude, value and habit community. of the people or

Possibilism and Lucien Febvre (1878 -1956) ● It was the French historian Lucien Febvre who carried forward the concept of possibilism. ● Febvre coined the term Possibilism ● In his book ‘A geographical introduction to history’, he explained the concept of possibilism.

● He attempted to provide a model for evolution of cultures. He explained that interaction between man and the natural environment is responsible for development of cultural forms. ● Febvre further elaborated and said that “there are no necessities, but everywhere possibilities; and man, as a master of the possibilities, are the judge of their use.

Jean Brunhes (1869 -1930) : Brunhes was a French Geographer and was a pupil of Blache. On the lines of his teacher, he tried to identify the scope and method of human geography.

He opined that nature is not mandatory but permissive. All these physical and cultural factors, therefore, need to be taken into account for undertaking a comprehensive study of a region (pays). ● ● Brunhes was of the opinion that the physical and cultural phenomena are closely interrelated with one another, and are in a state of perpetual change and they must be studied in the temporal context.

Robert Platt (1891 -1964): ● Robert Platt was an American geographer. ● He wrote a book titled ‘Environmentalism versus Geography’ in !948. ● In the book, he stressed on the spatial complexity of human social and cultural patterns and warned against the conceptual dangers of environmental determinism. Carl Ortwin Sauer (1889 -1975) ● Ortwin Sauer was associated with the University of California at Berkeley. ● He contributed in the field of cultural geography and developed the idea of human ecology.