THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF HARLAN H. BARROWS

Abstract

The career of Harlan H. Barrows illustrates some of the methodological problems of the history of geographic thought as well as some of the facts of the establishment of historical geography in the American university world. Barrows “environmentalist’ position, as applied in the development of this field, allowed him to make significant shifts from the quest for a more precise formulation of the effects of environmental influences to an implicit recognition of the central role of human choices. Barrows’writings and particularly his teaching show the pace and direction of the shift clearly. In the light of the accessible published literature, supplemented by certain manuscript sources, persistent descriptions of his work in historical geography which place it under the rubric of “environmental determinism'’are shown to be mistaken. Barrows was an exciting lecturer whose main influence was exercised through his famous introductory course in the historical geography of the United States. What we can affirm of his work and influence illustrates perhaps the leading characteristic of American historical geography, its dependence on a relatively few, strategically placed scholars who have shaped the field along the lines of their special predilections and temperaments.

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