农区地理学国际研究进展

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF RURAL GEOGRAPHY IN THE WESTERN WORLD AND CRITICAL THINKING OF CHINESE RURAL GEOGRAPHY

基于对国际文献和中国实际的分析和思考,总结了农区地理学的发展特点和新近研究动向。认为社会学、人类学和政治经济学对农区研究的关注,从不同角度影响着农区地理学的研究内容和思维变化。人文地理学的文化转向,也带来了农区地理学的相应转向。西方发达国家农区地理学的新近研究方向包括:后生产型农区发展、全球化与农区业发展、农区结构变化、农区基础设施、农区管制等。基于以上分析并结合中国实际,文章对中国农区地理学的研究思路进行了思考。

This paper reviews the recent developments of rural geography in the western world. The researches from perspectives of sociology, anthropology and political economics, have brought new insights into rural geography, particularly changed the thinking and methodology in the field. The cultural turn in human geog- raphy has also effected the relevant changes in rural geography. The new directions include post-productivist rural development, globalization and rural change, restructuring rural areas, rural infrastructure, and rural governance. To contribute to the current policies on building the new socialist countryside and the theoretical framework of developing Chinese rural geography, the paper outlines several points. 1） Chinese rural geogra- phy should include three sub-fields in research - agricultural geography, geography of rural settlements, and geography of rural household. Among them, the rural household in China has many special features in the world but remains inactive in geography inquiry. 2） The theoretical inquiry in rural geography should be paid particular attention. For instance, the theories under the unique background of China＇s rural development should be worthy for reference worldwide. Themes appear significant in combination of geographies of productivism and post-productivism, globalization and isolation, rural industrialization and growth of tertiary industry, and rural commercialization and kinship linkages. 3） For building the new countryside, four new perspectives are suggested. First, many new resources in rural area should be taken into account in planning （new viewpoint on resources）. Second, social development should be balanced with economic development （new viewpoint on development）. Third, rural settlement should be friendly with natural environment （new viewpoint on harmony）. Fourth, development planning and academic research should be carried out in various geography scales （new viewpoint on geography scale）.