Geography in the 21st Century

Defining Moments that Shaped Society [2 volumes]

Jayson J. Funke, Waquar Ahmed, Ipsita Chatterjee, Stephen M. McCauley

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9798765118122
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Historical Geography
• Index: Biological Sciences

Geography studies the relationship of humans and the natural environment, and these 40 essays examine those geographical events that have most profoundly shaped global society in the opening decades of the 21st century. Explore how these events have transformed how people interact with the environment, from political and economic issues such as elections, market practices, and war, to cultural and social issues such as racism and gender stereotyping at work. Landscapes, regions, cities, nature, society, development – our entire existence – is tied up with space and geography, and thus geography is well-placed to provide important insights and perspectives on the complex events and issues of our time. Geography in the 21st Century studies the world's rapidly changing environments and its shifting economic, political, and cultural landscapes. The entries address social, political, economic, and environmental events – from the Arab Spring Movements to the Mexico border crisis in the USA – that are often complex, transnational, and interrelated. Clear explanations help readers understand the historical and geographical continuity and confluence that underlie these defining moments. All chapters follow the same structure to provide consistency throughout and allow students to compare multiple events. Each begins with an overview of the event; followed by a background section that describes the historical and geographic context within which the event occurred; then a section on social, political, economic, and environmental Impacts that describes the results of the event; and a section that analyzes the event from a spatial or geographic perspective and explains why it is important. Each chapter also includes a list of references and sources for further reading and a sidebar on a related topic.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• CONTENTS
• LIST OF FIGURES
• PREFACE
• Introduction
• 1 Palestinian Second Intifada (2000–5)
• 2 Democracy Movement in Nepal (2001–6)
• 3 September 11 Terrorist Attacks, United States of America (2001)
• 4 United States’ War on Terrorism: Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003)
• 5 Establishment of the African Union (2002)
• 6 Rise of Social Media (2004)
• 7 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (2004)
• 8 Hurricane Katrina, United States of America (2005)
• 9 Kashmir Earthquake of 2005
• 10 Financial Crisis and Economic Recession in the United States of America (2007–9)
• 11 International Financial Crisis and Economic Recession (2007–10)
• 12 Global Food Crisis (2007–8)
• 13 The Saffron Revolution, Myanmar (2007)
• 14 End of Sri Lanka Civil War (2009)
• 15 Earthquake in Haiti (2010)
• 16 Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (2010)
• 17 Collapse of the San José Mine, Chile, and the Rescue of Thirty-Three Miners (2010)
• 18 Arab Spring Movements (2010–11)
• 19 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Disaster, Japan (2011)
• 20 Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Nile River (2011–)
• 21 Conflict in Kashmir (2013)
• 22 Pope Francis Elected to Head Roman Catholic Church (2013)
• 23 Rana Plaza Industrial Disaster, Bangladesh (2013)
• 24 China’s Belt and Road Initiative (2013–)
• 25 Ebola Outbreak, West Africa (2013–16)
• 26 Chibok Kidnappings, Nigeria (2014)
• 27 Flint, Michigan, Water Crisis, United States of America (2014)
• 28 War in Yemen (2014–)
• 29 Degradation of the Great Barrier Reef (2016–)
• 30 Brexit, Great Britain (2016–)
• 31 Attempted Coup d’etats in Türkiye and Subsequent Political Purges (2016–18)
• 32 Presidential Election in the United States (2016)
• 33 Standing Rock Indian Reservation Protests (Dakota Access Pipeline) (2016)
• 34 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the United States and the Caribbean (2017)
• 35 Rohingya Conflict, Myanmar (2017)
• 36 California Wildfires (2017–18)
• 37 Mexico Border Crisis, United States of America (2018–19)
• 38 COVID-19 Pandemic (2020–23)
• 39 Ukraine Crisis (2022–)
• 40 Floods in Pakistan (2022)
• INDEX
• ABOUT THE EDITORS
• ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
• Imprint