An Introduction to Political Geography

Old powers are falling. New states are emerging. The gap between East and West is narrowing. Yet the developments in the Middle East and the Eastern Bloc, the increasing disparity between the rich and poor nations, and the intensification of economic competition between former political allies, pose new threats and tensions for a New World. An Introduction to Political Geography in its first edition, helped to shape the study of the discipline. Entirely revised and updated this new edition explores political and geographic change within the same accessible framework emphasising the need for a fluid approach to the study of the international order, the nation state, as well as social movements. Examining the North-South and East-West dimensions in World Order and the rise of new centres of power from an historical perspective, Part I provides a background for discussion of current trends and future developments. The nation state, the key unit that binds the generality of world order with the particularity of individual households, is introduced through analytic study in Part II, whilst Part III utilises detailed case studies to discuss social movements and the politics of time and space. This new edition emphasizes the trend towards globalization but challenges the traditional integration of the world systems approach. A new section on the political geography of participation considers the concept of the global village, with its concerns for global justice and environmentalism. The extent to which active participation of people can determine social and political change prompts a range of original discussions.