初论段义孚人本主义地理学思想的形成

ON FORMATION OF YI-FU TUAN'S THOUGHTS ON HUMANISTIC GEOGRAPHY

1976年,人本主义地理学之父段义孚在《美国地理学家协会会刊》发表的论文中首次使用了"人本主义地理学"这一称法。人本主义地理学的出现由20世纪60年代末的人本主义思潮所带动,其通过关注人类自身状况而反映出与地理学学科的其他分支息息相关的各种现象,因而从属于地理学。段义孚将融合了地理学与哲学的、曾被称为"地理知识学"的学科推向一个新的高度。段义孚认为,"对生命意义的探求"是人本主义地理学的实质性核心,也是一直以来推动其进行人本主义地理学研究的动力。正如人本主义研究以人类的经验、意识以及知识为出发点,本文从人本主义视角出发,对段义孚人本主义地理学思想的形成过程进行系统化梳理。通过追溯段义孚人生经历中对其有重大影响的人物和经典著作,指出时代背景与个人经历共同促成段义孚人本主义关怀的形成。

Known as the ＂father＂ of humanist geography, Yi-Fu Tuan uses geography to delve deep into the mind. He has carried the study of what used to be called ＂geosophy＂, a mixing of geography and philosophy to new heights. The words ＂humanistic geography＂ first appeared in Tuan＇s paper published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers in 1976, entitled ＂Humanistic Geography＂. Against the ground- swell in the field of geography in the 1960s, which has a manifesto of the pre-eminence of ＂space＂, Tuan＇s work moved in an entirely different direction, focusing on people and their condition. To him, geography is about a set of moral questions： ＂who we are; how we should live in the world; how we should relate to the natural world and to ourselves; and what constitutes the good life.＂ Though humanistic geography is not pri- marily an earth science, it is a branch of geography for the reason that it reflects upon the kinds of evidence that interest other branches of the geography discipline. It contributes to science by drawing attention to facts as yet beyond the scientific purview. To Tuan, ＂the meaning of existence＂ is the substantive core of human geography, as well as the reason he took up geography. During a long career, ~i-Fu Tuan broadened the study of places by leading geographers back to the human eyes, which see and interpret those places. His work serves society fundamentally by raising its level of consciousness. As he said, humanist geography dif- fers from historical geography in emphasizing that ＂people create their own historical myths＂. The basic ap- proach to the topics of humanistic geography is by way of human experience, awareness, and knowledge. By the same methodology, this paper review Tuan＇s life paths, showing how his personal experience together with the broader social context has helped to shape his theoretical thinking and make him a prominent figure in geography by pioneering human geography.