The essays collected in Geography and Revolution explore two broad themes: the geography of revolution and geography in revolution. The former uses the discipline of geography to better understand the processes at work in various revolutions—technological, social, political. The latter focuses on how geographic knowledge and concepts are used or presented in the context of the various types of revolution. The volume's editors, David N. Livingstone and Charles W. J. Withers, argue persuasively that while economic, political, and sociological explanations abound for revolutions, these explanations have been lacking when it comes to questions of place and geography. In fact, most revolutions have been portrayed as virtually "placeless." This collection of papers offers a corrective.

Geography and Revolution is divided into three parts. Most of the chapters in the first section, "Geography and Scientific Revolution: Space, Place and Natural Knowledge," will be accessible only to those with a background in the history of science. The chapter by John Henry is of most importance for setting the context for the rest of the volume. Arguing that scientific practices develop within specific cultural contexts, Henry compares the national scientific institutions and practices of the English and French in the 17th century and ties their differences to the distinct religious and political histories of the two nations. In England, experiments were perceived to simply reveal matters of fact absent any theorizing on cause. This perspective was identified with the philosophy of the Church of England, which supported a notion of doctrinal minimalism and "common sense." Under this philosophy, experimentation was seen to produce knowledge that all parties could agree upon, not going beyond undeniable claims that were obvious. In contrast, French science advanced through the use of experimentation that served the purpose of building larger theoretical constructs. And these national differences played out in contrasting perspectives on the nature of matter and force, but also on the nature of God and such metaphysical concepts as causality. This particular chapter fits well within larger debates over epistemology in the sciences, providing an example of how cultural context shapes the practice of what has been considered the "universalistic" practice of science.

The second part of the collection, "Geography and Technical Revolution," is the most interesting and accessible and builds on the perspectival theme. These chapters illustrate how what is taken to be "obvious" or "factual" is to some degree dependent on the physical place from which the viewer sees the world. Jerry Brotton presents a case study on the impact of the printing of maps on depictions of the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Unsurprisingly, portrayals of the indigenous people of the Cape were framed by the purposes of the Europeans doing the framing. At the time of the initial maps, the Cape of Good Hope was seen as a commercial end, peripheral to early European travelers with no discrete identity. Maps were not neutral when they depicted this region, but consistently portrayed the Khoisan people of the area as dangerous, based on their failure to participate in the purposes for which Europeans came to the Cape.

Paul Glennie and Nigel Thrift push the reader further in self-consciousness of perspective and "place" in their discussion of "Revolutions in the Times." Sharply critical of technological determinism, they suggest that changing conceptions of time—and changes in the technology associated with measuring and marking time—were closely connected to "communities of practice," the real-life contexts where people lived and worked and negotiated the meaning of their lives. Glennie and Thrift capture the non-static nature of the relationship between technology and the practice of living but also show how practices can become "reified"—how, for example, familiar practices such as those that involve time become so "deeply grooved into the body" that they seem intuitive, natural, universal.

In the last paper in this section, James Ryan addresses the impact of photography in the Victorian era—a revolutionary era in visualization. Victorian science saw the photograph as a new form of evidence. A photograph, unlike a painting, was regarded as "true." Furthermore, photography appeared to dissolve the perceived distance between "there" and "here." Ryan's case study shows, however, that this new technology, far from being neutral, served as a tool and extension of the culture, particularly in furthering the exploration and conquest of territory—the extension of scientific empiricism in the justification of Western imperialism.

These three papers will nudge readers to be more self-reflective about the place from which they see the world, something always needed by those who sit in the seats of powerful nations. Brotton's case study pushes us to become more self-conscious of the place in which we stand when we see and portray other people and places in the world. My colleague Barbara Omolade speaks of "the Ephesians moment" in Scripture, where it is evident that we need all Christian perspectives from around the world to grasp the full richness of the gospel. Glennie and Thrift make us more self-conscious of those "communities of practice" that have become reified. Through their case study we can gain insight into our potential for mistaking what is relative for what is universal and unchanging. Ryan makes us more self-conscious that the technology we use is never neutral. Whenever we use technology, we stand in a particular place and have a particular purpose which frames its use. These three chapters are humbling in making us aware that we have only partial knowledge—that in this present age we see "through a glass darkly," as the Apostle Paul wrote.

Part 3, "Geography and Political Revolution," reinforces the overarching attempt of the book to delve deeper into the complexity of the perspectival nature of knowledge. Robert Mayhew's chapter on geography at Oxford in the 1600s, Michael Heffernan's work on geography in the period of the French Revolution, and David Livingstone's analysis of geographical writings in the era of the American Revolution all illustrate that geographic understanding is always embedded within the context of place and time. Early geographical writings and methods at Oxford reflected theological debates going on in Europe between Calvinist and Arminian perspectives as well as contested political alliances. French geographer Edme Mentelle's writings appeared sterile and descriptive, with no explanation or theoretical perspective, in an effort to avoid politically controversial theoretical issues within the unpredictable setting of the French Revolution. American geographical writings at the time of the Revolution, in some respects quite diverse, share a common theme: the unique nature of North America as a place for the development of a superior culture and morality. Here geography was appropriated to forge a national identity, distinct from that of Europe and indeed superior in its landscape. Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia was an apologetic for American nature and human nature on the North American continent. Jedidiah Morse's American Geography gave prominence to New England culture as the model for American character. Timothy Dwight valorized American landscapes in which the qualities of the New Earth could be seen. Unsurprisingly, this grandson of Jonathan Edwards believed with Jedidiah Morse that the landscape and culture of New England best expressed the American identity. This last section of the volume illustrates the theme of geography in revolution, the use of geographic information for the purposes of a particular revolution. Certainly we could easily find contemporary examples to illustrate the same point, and these chapters offer models with which to assess the agendas framing geographic information in the present.

Geography and Revolution is a challenging book. Primarily intended for a specialized academic audience, these essays will also profit the interested general reader, providing a glimpse into the way the discipline of geography views the world and insights into the roots of contemporary debates on the perspectival nature of knowledge.

Janel Curry is professor of geography and Dean for Research and Scholarship at Calvin College.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today/Books & Culture magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Books & Culture.