In my history course, the professor frequently touches upon geography as a factor in a respective culture's development. What my professor says sounds reasonable; that said, I have an early 1900s copy of Advanced Geography (written by Tarr & McMurry) that seems to use the geography of cultures as a sort of justification for European imperialism. By that, I mean that it justifies its bias towards Western culture and its distaste for/racism towards other cultures by citing superior geography more conducive towards "civilization". Of course, my professor doesn't go nearly as far as Tarr & McMurry do in terms of geographic analysis, but it leaves me curious and uncertain. Where do modern historians begin connecting geography to human history and culture, and where do they stop? Thanks for the help.
Where do modern historians begin connecting geography to human history and culture, and where do they stop?
As far as I know, the historiography of the Annales School is the first one that pays special attention to geography. Below are some of the most important books written by historians from this school:
Lucien Febvre, La Terre et l'évolution humaine (1922), translated as A Geographical Introduction to History (London, 1932).
Fernand Braudel, "The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II" (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996).
I am sure that flaired users will give much more detailed explanations.
As long as geography influences human decision making, it can be seen as a part of history. This can be seen from something as small as a creek drenching soldiers before battle, to the location of the Canaries and Azores as stepping stones for the Portuguese.
Source: Historisch Redeneren, A. Wilschut & F. Groot. (Historic Reasoning)
You'll find a lot of different opinions on this subject. Something like Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is pretty generally agreed to have some serious problems, even though I think it receives a lot more acrimony than it deserves. Barry Cunliffe's "Europe Between the Oceans" is, on the other hand, reasonably well regarded, even though many historians would not agree with the arguments presented.
Arguing for geographic determinism can be very interesting, and often, in historical scholarship, "interesting idea" can be greater praise than "I think you're right."