The Evolution of Regional Geography in France

프랑스 지역지리연구의 전개과정

Modern geography in France since the end of 19th century was begun with regional geography. France after losing the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 had tried to regain the deteriorated national proudness through the colonial expansion. The social and historical contexts in France had encouraged French geographers to engage in detailed small area studies. In particular, after Blache became a faculty at Sorbonne University his idea on integrative rather than selective description on area studies had gained paradigmatic popularity not only in geography but in other disciplines. The regional geography tradition was then firmly established as a science and as an art by Vidalian school until the beginning of Second World War. However, when industrialization and urbanization were the dominant science since the 1950s spatial analytic geography has become popular research tradition replacing the previledged regional geography. Nevertheless, geography in France is still acknowledged as an interesting and valuable discipline since regional geography tradition had accumulated rich knowledges on various regions. As regional geography provides valuable information and helps to understand various world regions, it should be regenerated as a research tradition which are able to fulfill societal needs accruing nowadays. By doing this, geography can rectify its disciplinary identity which has been disintegrated internally by giving too much emphasis on specialties, and melding into nearby disciplines. Our geography education for the chorography in particular focuses mainly on the listings of simple geographic facts, in this regard. Rather than attracting students' concern and motivation, geography is considered as a subject oriented toward simply memorizing geographic facts. To overcome these problems, regional geography should be discussed openly and popularized in research. Regional geographic methods available and results produced in other countries should be introduced, and critical assessments should be made for selective acknowledgment for nurturing our regional geography.

본 연구는 프랑스에서 지역지리연구가 등장하게 된 시대적 배경과 주요 연구성과, 그리고 2차 대전 이후의 침체과정을 개괄적으로 살펴봄으로써, 오늘날 우리 국토공간을 연구하는데 하나의 이론적 및 실천적 합의를 제공하려는 목적을 가진다. 프랑스에서는 1871년 보볼전쟁에서의 패배를 계기로 지리학, 특히 지역지리연구가 중요하게 인식되기 시작하였다. 초중등학교 교육에서 지리과목이 중시되고 대학에서는 지리학 강좌가 정식으로 개설되었으며, 특히 해외 식민지 개척을 위한 지역연구가 크게 각광을 받게 되었다. 비달은 지표현상을 분리하지 않고 통합적으로 기습하늘 과학적인 지역연구를 수행하여 소르본느대학을 중심으로 독특한 지역지리학파를 형성하였으며, 이는 브뢴느, 갈로와, 마르똔느 등 수많은 지리학자들에 의해 계승 발전되었다. 그러나 2차 대전 이후 프랑스에서의 지역지리연구는 급속히 침체하기 시작하였다. 프랑스에 있어서 지역지리학의 쇠퇴는 곧 지리학 전반의 쇠퇴를 의미하는 것이었는데, 이러한 지리학의 위기는 지리학 자체에 대한 실망에 기인한다기 보다는 프랑스인들의 생활이 현대화되면서 생겨난 변화를 반영하늘 것이라 볼 수 있다.