Social science theory/explanation and land use There is no overarching theory of the human-environment relationship although individual scholars adhere strongly to certain explanations - this makes consensus and modeling difficult There is an important relationship between theory, hypotheses, data, analysis, policy and politics of land use References : People and Pixels: Linking Remote Sensing and Social Science (National Academy Press, 1999). Available on the web at: Liverman, D.M "Modeling Social Systems and Their Interaction with the Environment: A View from Geography," in P.M. Groffman and G.E. Likens, eds., Integrated Regional Models: Interactions Between Humans and Their Environment. Chapman and Hall. (On course Website)

General Social science theory/explanation and environment Human-Environment Nature controls people (environmental determinism) People control nature (possibilism, technological optimism, anthropocentrism) People are part of nature (ecosystems, ecocentrism) Human-human People act as rational individuals in a free system (neoclassical economics) People act in accordance with individual psychological characteristics and/or their socioeconomic and family status (behavioral) Some people control others through institutions and structures of power and ideology (political economy,marxism, feminism) People are subjective, unique (humanism, postmodernism)

The Valley of Oaxaca (near Etla)

Etla (located at #3)

Alternative Explanations for land use in picture Environmental determinism - the use of the land is determined by the climate, soils and topography of the area (Huntington) Possibilism - human ingenuity and technology allow anything (bananas, wheat, flowers) to be grown Cultural ecology - people have adapted to the physical environmental constraints through the use of technologies (plant breeding, irrigation, terraces) and social organization (sharing surplus and maintenance of irrigation systems (Denevan, Turner) Economic - people use the land for maximum profit determined by balance of supply and demand, cost of transport to market (e.g. Von Thunen land use models) Behavioral - the individual socioeconomic/psychological characteristics of individuals (age, education) influence how they use the land (e.g. Wolpert) Humanistic/cultural - land use expresses deep cultural, religious and aesthetic traditions (Tuan)

Malthusian and Biological explanations - human activity and behavior responds to basic biological drivers (physiology, reproduction) and population pressure is exceeding the carrying capacity of this landscape Demographic explanations - Boserup and Chayanov Marxist/Political Economy/Dependency theory - land use is controlled by capitalism/power in the interests of the few by exploiting both poor people and nature Political ecology - land use decisions are influenced by nature, economic and structural constraints, and by characteristics or agency of individuals Postmodern - this landscape is a “text” replete with symbols and multiple meanings Feminist - this is a highly gendered landscape with divisions of labor and uneven benefits from harvests between men and women Statistical-empirical - current landscape predicted from past trajectory or random conversion based on previous condition