ABSTRACT
Geography’s recent ethical turn and the inclusion of global issues in the curriculum are by no means the first time that the subject has been utilized for political objectives and imbued with extraneous morals. Indeed it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that education was first understood as an intellectual activity distinct from moral indoctrination. The purpose of this chapter is twofold. First, it will chart the evolution of geography as a discipline, highlighting its fundamental humanizing qualities and how these emerged in different historical periods. Second, it will demonstrate the ways in which the subject has been seized upon for instrumental purpose. At different periods these external moral agendas have been religious, political and social reformist in nature. What is common to each is the conscious attempt to use geography as a vehicle to provide students with a predetermined set of socio-political values or to induce a type of desired behaviour. Indeed, geography’s very evolution as an institutionalized discipline towards the end of the nineteenth century was not unconnected with its role in supporting imperialistic tendencies of European nations and instilling in children a sense of pride in nation, and empire in the case of Britain. Whether these extrinsic moral campaigns have been successful or not is not the prerogative of this chapter. At other
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KEY QUESTIONS
1 What is geography? 2 Why study geography? 3 What is the relationship between geography as a subject and social
change?
