Milton Santos: A Pioneer in Critical Geography from the Global South

162 Pages·2017·2.533 MB·English

by  Lucas Melgaço, Carolyn Prouse (eds.)

Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice 11
Lucas Melgaço
Carolyn Prouse Editors
Milton Santos:
A Pioneer in Critical
Geography from the
Global South
Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science,
Engineering, Practice
Volume 11
Series editor
Hans Günter Brauch, Mosbach, Germany
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15230
http://www.afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP.htm
http://afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP_Santos.htm
ç
Lucas Melga o Carolyn Prouse
(cid:129)
Editors
Milton Santos: A Pioneer
in Critical Geography
from the Global South
123
Editors
Lucas Melgaço CarolynProuse
Department ofCriminology Department ofGeography
Vrije Universiteit Brussel University of British Columbia
Brussels Vancouver, BC
Belgium Canada
Acknowledgement: We would like to express our gratitude to Marie-Hélène Tiercelin,
MiltonSantos’swife, for hergenerous supportthroughout the writing of thisbook.
AbookwebsitewithadditionalinformationonMiltonSantosandhismajorbookcoverscan
beaccessed at:http://afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP_Santos.htm.
ISSN 2509-5579 ISSN 2509-5587 (electronic)
Pioneersin Arts, Humanities,Science, Engineering, Practice
ISBN978-3-319-53825-9 ISBN978-3-319-53826-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-53826-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017932412
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017
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Contents
1 Milton Santos and the Centrality of the Periphery. .... ..... .... 1
Lucas Melgaço and Carolyn Prouse
1.1 Milton Santos: A Geographer of the South?... .... ..... .... 4
1.2 The Restless Thinker .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 5
1.3 A Miltonian Epistemology .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
1.4 Crossing Linguistic Divides ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
1.5 The Book.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 22
2 The Return of the Territory... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
Milton Santos
3 Technical-Scientific-Informational Milieu, Networks
and Territories. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 33
Sarita Albagli
3.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 34
3.2 Space, a Hybrid ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
3.3 Technical-Scientific-Informational Milieu. .... .... ..... .... 36
3.4 The Geography of Networks... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 38
3.5 Horizontalities and Verticalities .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
3.6 New Frontiers. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 41
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 42
4 How Can Santos’s Theory and Concepts Help Us to Better
Understand Third World Dynamics and Problems?.... ..... .... 45
Aurélien Reys
4.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
4.2 Milton Santos and the Third World . .... .... .... ..... .... 46
4.3 Cities of the Third World. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 47
v
vi Contents
4.4 The Two Circuits and the Shared Space.. .... .... ..... .... 49
4.5 Conclusion ... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 51
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 52
5 Psychosphere and Technosphere: Complex Relations
in the Hospital Realm... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 55
Eliza Pinto de Almeida
5.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 55
5.2 The Psychosphere and the Technosphere of Fear: Hospitals
in the Middle Ages. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 57
5.3 The Hospital’s Technosphere and Psychosphere
in the Scientific and Technical Period.... .... .... ..... .... 60
5.4 The Complex Hospital Technosphere and Psychosphere
in the Technical-Scientific-Informational Period.... ..... .... 62
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 65
6 The Political Economy of Territory and Agribusiness
in Brazil.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
Samuel Frederico and Marina Castro de Almeida
6.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
6.2 Toward a Political Economy of Territory. .... .... ..... .... 68
6.3 Pact of the Political Economy of Territory
Based on Agribusiness... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 70
6.4 Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces: The Expansion
of the Agricultural Frontier and the Commanding Role
of the Metropolis of São Paulo. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 71
6.5 Final Considerations..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 75
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 76
7 Territorial Planning in Brazil: An Interpretation
Based on the Ideas of Milton Santos .... .... .... .... ..... .... 79
Luís Angelo dos S. Aracri
7.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 79
7.2 The ‘First Era’ of Territorial Planning in Brazil.... ..... .... 80
7.3 The Current Dynamics of Territorial Planning in Brazil... .... 83
7.4 A Non-Conclusion . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 87
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 89
8 Rethinking Federalism through the Work of Milton Santos .. .... 91
Fabrício Gallo
8.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 91
8.2 The Relevancy of the Used Territory in the Analysis
of the Federation... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 92
8.3 Federalism as Geographical Event .. .... .... .... ..... .... 93
Contents vii
8.4 Selective Renovation of Materialities and the Distribution
of Tributary Resources Among Federate Entities ... ..... .... 95
8.5 Final Considerations..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 98
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
9 Milton Santos’s Contribution to Understanding the
Transformations Underway at Modern Agricultural Frontiers........ 101
Júlia Adão Bernardes
9.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 101
9.2 New Expansion of the Modern Agricultural Frontier
in the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso.... .... .... ..... .... 103
9.3 Milton Santos on the Agricultural Frontier.... .... ..... .... 104
9.4 New Space-Times of Mato Grosso.. .... .... .... ..... .... 106
9.5 New Contradictions in Mato Grosso and Pará: Competing
Values and the Exploitation of Labour
and Natural Resources ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 108
9.6 Concluding Remarks..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 110
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 111
10 Geography and Indigenous Peoples: Milton Santos
and the Richness of the Present Time ... .... .... .... ..... .... 113
Roberta Carvalho Arruzzo
10.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 114
10.2 Territory and Indigenous Peoples in Brazil.... .... ..... .... 115
10.3 Slow People and Opaque Spaces: Proposing a Geographical
Perspective on Indigenous Land Issues... .... .... ..... .... 119
10.4 Conclusion: Transforming Geographic Thought.... ..... .... 123
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 123
11 Milton Santos’s Thought and the Logic of Environmental
Conservation in the Contemporary Period ... .... .... ..... .... 125
Maria Tereza Duarte Paes and Claudia Levy
11.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 126
11.2 Conservation Units: Vertically Imposed Scientific
and Informational Objects. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 128
11.3 New Use and Management Norms.. .... .... .... ..... .... 130
11.4 Effects of Conservation Units in the Reshaping of Places.. .... 131
11.5 Final Thoughts.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 134
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 134
12 Environmental Crisis Through the Theories
of Milton Santos ... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 137
Francisco J. Toro
12.1 Introduction .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 137
12.2 Ontological... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 140
viii Contents
12.3 Epistemic .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 141
12.4 Technical .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 144
12.5 Ethical .. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 146
12.6 Final Remarks: Santos and the Environmental Crisis
as ‘Deterritorialization’... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 148
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 149
Milton Santos’s Selected Bibliography... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 151
About Milton Santos.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 159
About the Editors.. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 161
About the Contributors . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 163
Chapter 1
Milton Santos and the Centrality
of the Periphery
Lucas Melgaço and Carolyn Prouse
Abstract This chapter introduces Brazilian Geographer Milton Santos to
English-speaking academia. The text places Santos’s theorizations in conversation
with recent calls to expand, postcolonialize and decolonize knowledge production
inurbanstudies:tosaythatSantosisageographerfromtheGlobalSouthandofthe
periphery is to indicate the marginalization of theories produced from particular
social locations. The text then offers a biography of the author, highlighting the
plurality of his experiences and the diversity of contexts in which he lived during
his academic career. This introductory chapter also includes a discussion of the
particularitiesofwhatcouldbecalledaMiltonianepistemologyofgeography,and
concludesbybrieflypresentingthechaptersthatcomprisethebookMiltonSantos:
A Pioneer in Geography from the Global South.
Many scholars consider the Vautrin Lud Prize the Nobel Prize for Geography.
Since 1991 the award has honored geographers who have made exceptional con-
tributionstotheworldofgeography.Itstrackrecordofwinners,however,indicates
the unequal distribution of value attributed to different geographies of thought. At
the time of writing 28 scholars have received this honorable distinction: seven are
from the United Kingdom, six from theUnited States,five from France, four from
Switzerland,twofromSpain,onefromIreland,onefromSweden,onefromCanada
and one from Brazil (Festival International de Géographie 2016). In other words,
only 3.6%—one person—from outside the Europe-North America axis has been
awardedtheprize.Thesenumbersdemonstratethatwhatisconsidered‘excellence’
in geography is restricted to a very specific circle, limited not only in terms of
country of origin, but also language: 53.6% of the awarded scholars are primary
Englishspeakers,22%speakFrench,7.1%German,7.1%Spanish,3.6%Swedish,
and 3.6%—one—is a Brazilian Portuguese speaker. This Brazilian Portuguese
LucasMelgaço,AssistantProfessor,VrijeUniversiteitBrussel;Email:[email protected].
be.
CarolynProuse,Ph.D.Candidate,UniversityofBritishColumbia;Email:carolyn.prouse@geog.
ubc.ca.
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017 1
L.MelgaçoandC.Prouse(eds.),MiltonSantos:APioneerinCritical
GeographyfromtheGlobalSouth,PioneersinArts,Humanities,
Science,Engineering,Practice11,DOI10.1007/978-3-319-53826-6_1