Dualism in geography
Topic: Geography as a Discipline: Nature, Branches and Approaches · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 1 "Geography as a Discipline"; Class 12, Ch 1 "Human Geography: Nature and Scope"
Meaning
Dualism in geography means the long-lasting splits within the subject, based on what a scholar chooses to stress. The two main splits are physical vs human geography, and systematic vs regional approach. Another split is nomothetic (law-seeking) vs idiographic (studying unique places). Early scholars stressed physical geography. Human geography grew once people came to see humans as part of nature, who had added to it through culture.
Example
The Himalayas can be studied in two ways. A physical geographer studies its glaciers, rivers and landforms. A human geographer studies hill towns such as Shimla, terrace farming and tourism. Both study the same region but stress different things.
Don't confuse with
- Branches of geography: branches such as climatology or economic geography are fields of study. Dualism is the tension between two broad ways of looking at the whole subject.
Related concepts
- Systematic and regional approaches
- Systematic geography
- Regional geography
- Alexander von Humboldt
- Karl Ritter
- Nomothetic and idiographic approaches