Description
By (author) Samson, Maxim
:
”A riposte to the idea that geography is destiny” FINANCIAL TIMES”Samson demonstrates how we are not always prisoners of geography but, increasingly, its masters” LEWIS DARTNELL”This is a book that reshapes our story of global human geography” DANNY DORLING”Accessible and erudite, this is an original look at the geography of connection” LEWIS BASTONMountains, meridians, rivers and borders; these are some of the features that carve up the world on our maps and in our minds. But geography is far less set in stone than we might believe and, over time, we have become experts at reshaping our surroundings.From the Qhapaq Ñan, South America”s ”Great Road”, and the Panama Canal to Mozambique”s railways and Korea”s sacred Baekdu-daegan mountain range, Samson explores how we mould the world around us. And how, as we etch our needs onto the natural landscape, we alter the course of history.An immense work of cultural geography touching on ecology, sociology, history and politics, Earth Shapers argues that, far from being constrained by geography, we are instead its creators.
Review quote:
A captivating and compelling account of how civilisations have made use of natural landscapes for their long-term benefit. From the astounding Incan road system to the building of Chicago and the Panama canal, humans have a long history of shaping the Earth to build connections between ourselves. Samson demonstrates how we are not always prisoners of geography, but increasingly its masters
Review quote:
Samson takes a fresh look at humanity”s imprint on the planet … A riposte to the idea that geography is destiny by charting the ways humans have reshaped their surroundings
Review quote:
From railroads colonisers dreamed of building turning in projects designed by Africans, through to what travel routes will be used again when there is no longer a border within Korea, Earth Shapers tells stories that have been ignored because they do not fit the old narrative; a book that reshapes our story of global human geography
Review quote:
Accessible and erudite, Earth Shapers makes for a refreshing perspective on the relationship between human and physical geography. Ranging confidently from Chicago to Mozambique to Korea just as it travels across the history of technology, cities, nationalism, colonialism and liberation … it is an original look at the geography of connection in an age where so much attention is given to the geography of division, to walls and borders
Review quote:
This bold and rich collection ranges widely across five continents and an array of fascinating case studies, casting light on various meanings of geographical connectivity. Reading this book it”s impossible not to learn something new
Review quote:
Modern geography is the geography of our personal, political and sociological souls. We urgently need to know what we are. Samson holds up a mirror, showing us ourselves reflected in what we”ve done. Fascinating, original and prescient
Review quote:
Well researched and wide-ranging, this book joins the dots, showing the power of connections between places
Review quote:
Humans are inveterate environmental meddlers. No guide to their excesses is more eloquent, more learned, more surprising, more amusing or more convincing than Maxim Samson. His lively language and minatory message are as entertaining as they are unsettling
Review quote:
Praise for INVISIBLE LINES
Review quote:
An illuminating glimpse of the chain reactions of human and physical geography … Invisible Lines shows the unexpected side-effects of human-drawn borders
Review quote:
Fascinating…a truly original adventure into new ways of exploring a sense of place
Review quote:
A chance to see th
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.