Protagonisti socialne geografije: začetki

Abstract

V geografiji je razlaga in opis prostorske stvarnosti v 20. stoletju doživljala različne raziskovalne pristope in opredelitve. Okroglo stoletnico praznuje socialnogeografsko nazorsko dojemanje procesov v kulturni pokrajini. V drugi polovici stoletja se je v okviru družbene oziroma kulturne geografije tudi v Sloveniji/Jugoslaviji pričelo uveljavljati prepričanje, da ima pri izgledu in funkciji določene pokrajine najbolj pomembno vlogo družba oziroma človek z njemu lastnimi interesi. Pot k takemu prepričanju so tlakovale osebnosti v Evropi in Severni Ameriki. Tovrstno teorijo in raziskovalno metodologijo so nekateri slovenski geografi, po avstrijsko-nemškem vzoru, vneto zagovarjali, drugi pa – predvsem zaradi skoraj izključnega zanikanja naravnogeografskih dejavnikov – nasprotovali. Na nasprotnih bregovih sta si s somišljeniki stala Svetozar Ilešič, zagovornik enovite/regionalne geografije in Vladimir Klemenčič, pobudnik »slovenske/ljubljanske šole socialne geografije«. In geography of the 20th century, the interpretation of the existing spatial reality experienced different research approaches and definitions. Geographers came to the conclusion that society, man and social groups play also an important role in the contemporary appearance and function of a region. The path to such a belief has been paved before WW2 by several geographers in Europe and North America. Following the Austro-German model this theory and research methodology was in Yugoslavia advocated predominantly by Slovene geographers, while others – mainly due to the almost exclusive denial of the spatial physical-geographical factors – opposed it. Vladimir Klemenčič, the initiator of social geography thought in Slovenia, and Svetozar Ilešič, an advocate of the unified/regional geography, stood on opposite banks with like-minded people.