Abstract

ABSTRACTGeography must be conceived in relation to man. It is not merely a description of the Earth, rather it accounts for the history of man’s relationship with it, of man’s movements on its surface, and his transformative impact on the world. From this perspective, Friedrich Ratzel was extraordinarily innovative respect to other nineteenth century scholars. That said, however, his revolutionary approach actually relied on an ancient foundation. To understand the basis of Ratzel’s anthropogeographical project it is vital to return to a Greek concept that, over the centuries, has been variously resemantized: the concept of the oecumene. In his understanding of the oecumene, the entire breadth of humanity is conceived in historical and geographical relation to the world around it. Ratzel’s anthropogeography aspires to an all-encompassing understanding of man. In fact, it allows us to reconstruct the coordinates of time and space through which man has developed as a being capable of culture. The Earth, according to Ratzel, transcends its eminently geophysical connotations and becomes more similar to the ancient oecumene. It is, once more, the abode of man; it is that which he knows and recognizes, that to which he gives a name.