The origins of quantitative methodologies in Italian geographical research can be traced to the development of regional studies from the beginning of the 20th century onwards. More broadly, quantitative methods in geography date back to the cartographical and statistical approach that characterized a prolific field of research in the long 19th century, supporting nation-building processes and following the establishment of a unified territorial state in 1861. In the interwar period, several research projects were developed (e.g. rural houses, mountain depopulation, port management and maritime trades) that emphasized an applied understanding of the discipline and reflected nationalistic goals, thus involving multiple scholars in the chauvinist politics of the Fascist regime. A significant group of scholars formerly complicit with the regime moved towards quantitative methodologies after WWII, especially in the field of economic and transport geography; their work also followed international trends in the development of the discipline, adopting a depoliticized approach to research. By examining the works of Italian scholars such as Bruno Nice, Eliseo Bonetti and Umberto Toschi, this chapter analyses the theoretical framework, historical background, and research topics that characterized the rise of quantitative geographical researches in Italy between 1950 and 1960. Finally, it considers the critique of quantitative geography that emerged in the 1970s based on a humanistic perspective.
Italian geographers and the origins of a quantitative revolution: from natural science to applied economic geography
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In corso di stampa
Abstract
The origins of quantitative methodologies in Italian geographical research can be traced to the development of regional studies from the beginning of the 20th century onwards. More broadly, quantitative methods in geography date back to the cartographical and statistical approach that characterized a prolific field of research in the long 19th century, supporting nation-building processes and following the establishment of a unified territorial state in 1861. In the interwar period, several research projects were developed (e.g. rural houses, mountain depopulation, port management and maritime trades) that emphasized an applied understanding of the discipline and reflected nationalistic goals, thus involving multiple scholars in the chauvinist politics of the Fascist regime. A significant group of scholars formerly complicit with the regime moved towards quantitative methodologies after WWII, especially in the field of economic and transport geography; their work also followed international trends in the development of the discipline, adopting a depoliticized approach to research. By examining the works of Italian scholars such as Bruno Nice, Eliseo Bonetti and Umberto Toschi, this chapter analyses the theoretical framework, historical background, and research topics that characterized the rise of quantitative geographical researches in Italy between 1950 and 1960. Finally, it considers the critique of quantitative geography that emerged in the 1970s based on a humanistic perspective.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
