ABSTRACT
Scienceandscholarshipdonotexistseparatelyfromtheirhuman context,anditisthereforeessentialtoexaminethebroaderintellectual andsocialframeworkwithinwhichanydisciplinehasemerged.Nevertheless,whenattentionfocusesonthedevelopmentofaformalgeography,producedbypeoplespecificallyclaimingtobegeographers,it isalsonecessarytoexaminetherolesofthoseindividualswhohave playedaformativepartinthedevelopmentofthesubject.Therapid increaseinknowledgeabouttheworldgainedbyEuropeanpeoplein thewakeofthe'discoveries'ofthe15thand16thcenturies,provided thebasisforthegradualemergenceofaformaldisciplineofgeography inthe19thcentury.Itiswiththecomplexprocessesgivingrisetothe eventualinstitutionalizationofacademicgeographythatthischapteris primarilyconcerned.
