Offering a comprehensive exploration of human geography, this book provides students with a deep understanding of its historical, economic, political, cultural, and urban aspects. It emphasizes critical thinking and analysis, making complex concepts accessible while encouraging engagement with the subject matter. Ideal for those seeking a serious and thorough introduction, it prepares readers to navigate the intricate relationships between people and their environments.
This book delves into the geographical dimensions and implications of the post-truth era, defending the Enlightenment's enduring relevance to science, objectivity, and truth. It presents three key perspectives on post-truth. First, a philosophical analysis reveals how social theory has intertwined knowledge and power, relativizing truth, particularly under post-modernism, which questions truth's very nature. Second, the historical origins of post-truth are examined, tracing its roots to the 18th and 19th centuries, with a notable surge through social media. The narrative includes examples such as yellow journalism, Holocaust denial, and contemporary scientific attacks, including the anti-vaccine movement and evolution denial. Post-truth emerged as a pivotal issue in Western politics with Brexit and Donald Trump's election, where it was leveraged to promote a reactionary agenda. Russian interference and right-wing media, like Fox News, have exacerbated the situation, leading to the rise of unfounded conspiracy theories like QAnon. Lastly, the book connects the rise of a post-truth society to contemporary economic geography, highlighting how knowledge-intensive capitalism has elevated the role of symbolic workers in urban centers while rural areas, often home to the undereducated, become more vulnerable to fake news.