Understanding the Cultural Landscape

This compelling book offers a fresh perspective on how the natural world has been imagined, built on, and transformed by human beings throughout history and around the globe. Coverage ranges from the earliest societies to preindustrial China and India, from the emergence in Europe of the modern world to the contemporary global economy. The focus is on what the places we have created say about us: our belief systems and the ways we make a living. Also explored are the social and environmental consequences of human activities, and how conflicts over the meaning of progress are reflected in today's urban, rural, and suburban landscapes. Written in a highly engaging style, this ideal undergraduate-level human geography text is illustrated with over 25 maps and 70 photographs.Note: Many additional photographs related to the themes addressed in the book are available at the author's website (greatmirror.com.)

This compelling book offers a fresh perspective on how the natural world has been imagined, built on, and transformed by human beings throughout history and around the globe. Coverage ranges from the earliest societies to preindustrial China and India, from the emergence in Europe of the modern world to the contemporary global economy. The focus is on what the places we have created say about us: our belief systems and the ways we make a living. Also explored are the social and environmental consequences of human activities, and how conflicts over the meaning of progress are reflected in today's urban, rural, and suburban landscapes. Written in a highly engaging style, this ideal undergraduate-level human geography text is illustrated with over 25 maps and 70 photographs.Note: Many additional photographs related to the themes addressed in the book are available at the author's website (greatmirror.com.)

1. IntroductionI. Anthropological Foundations2. Human Evolution, Diffusion, and Culture 3. Foragers4. Domestication 5. The Diffusion and Early Development of Agriculture6. The Emergence of CivilizationII. Historical Developments7. China8. India9. A Technological Civilization10. GlobalizationIII. Livelihoods Today11. Resource Production12. Manufacturing13. Services14. Transportation and CommunicationIV. Social and Environmental Consequences15. Romantic Responses16. Political Reactions17. Conservation, Resources, and Population18. Pollution, Biodiversity, and Climate ChangeV. Reading Landscapes19. American Cities20. Rural America21. Cities Abroad22. Countrysides Abroad