ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part provides the novel approach of engaging in a dialogue that ranges widely over the meanings of place and the status of regional and area studies. It examines the interactions of physical and human geographers in the study of these parts of the discipline. The part addresses the theme of globalization with a historical perspective. The sense of globalization has been evident in Geography since its inception as a field of study. As the centrality of the concept of the region has faded from prominence in human geography and that of area became synonymous with location and territory, so the concept of place has assumed greater prominence. Geographers have long worked on or around the concept of place and it is in that sense a true unifying bond.
