Possibilism (geography)

Possibilism in cultural geography is the theory that the environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but culture is otherwise determined by man's actions. In Cultural ecology Marshall Sahlins used this concept in order to develop alternative approaches to the environmental determinism dominant at that time in ecological studies.

The controversy between geographical possibilism and determinism might be considered as one of (at least) three dominant epistemologic controversies of contemporary geography. The other two controversies are 1) the "debate between neopositivists and neokantians about the "exceptionalism" or the specificity of geography as a science [and 2)] the contention between Mackinder and Kropotkin about what is - or should be - geography.

Possibilism in geography is, thus, considered as a distinct approach to geographical knowledge, directly opposed to geographical determinism.

External links

• University of Washington lecture
• Valparaiso University on La Blache

Sources