DOES RADICAL GEOGRAPHY LACK AN APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONS?

Abstract

As radical Anglophone geography approached the close of its first decade it began to show signs of introspection.Several authors sketched out and pondered its development (Akatiff, 1974;Anderson, 1977; Peet, 1977, Santos, 1975; Wisner, 1977a).In particular, Peet (1977, 26) focuses our attention on an alleged dichotomous development of the spatial and environmental sides of radical geography: Within radical geography, the theoretical base is increasingly strong in one of the traditional areas of geographic interests (spatial relations) and conspicuously weak in another area (environmental relations).The Marxist theory of spatial relations is becoming more and more sophisticated, especially in the area of underdevelopment processes.In that area a coherent body of theory, developed outside geography, already existed; in addition, there is a condition of crisis in spatial relations between the center and the periphery of capitalism, marked by a series of successful wars of Third World liberation, which has spurred on theoretical inquiry.But there is also an environmental crisis of monumental proportions, and the materialistic approach of Marxist geography can easily be applied to environment-man relations; yet this area of geography remains largely untouched by radical geographers.I share Peet's concern; however, I believe the situation is not as stark as his words imply.Certainly as a Marxist geographer setting out to participate in the creation of 1 Reprinted with permission from Ben Wisner and Richard Peet.2 Schmidt-Renner (1972, 1973a, 1973b, 1974) has been developing the concept of "Sozialistische Ökologie des Menschen" in a highly industrialized context.I borrow the term from him, but as will be seen below, the practice of revolutionary land use, public health, etc. in the wake of Third World revolutions gives the term a somewhat different content.3 The historian Malcolm Caldwell (1978) [...] published a work that links imperialism with energy consumption patterns and mode of production in a way that begins to fill this gap.

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