On Sauer’s theory and practice in cultural ecology
Berkeley School, also known as Cultural Ecology School, was represented by Carl O. Sauer, one of the most outstanding American cultural and historical geographers, who served as the director of Department of Geography at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1923 to 1954. Under his leadership this active academic school had produced huge influences in geography and anthropology in North America from the 1920s to 1960s. The academic practice of Sauer could be classified into five categories: 1) agricultural origin and dispersal; 2) the relations between cultural landscapes and natural environments; 3) the researches on the early explorations of America; 4) human impacts on environments; and 5) the methodology of cultural ecology. Sauer's theory and practice in cultural ecology belongs to the logical positive study. He is interested in cultural landscapes and the relationship between the cultural landscapes and natural environments is the core theme in all his researches. When studying landscapes, he not only reveals the regional differentiation, but also emphases the origin and changing process of the cultural landscapes. He believes cultures play very important roles in shaping landscapes, and each unique cultural landscape deeply roots in the local environment. He thinks cultural landscape is built based on the natural landscape on one side, and it is also the creation of human culture on another side. Sauer insists that all cultural landscapes have the genetic or historical characteristics. Cultural landscape is formed and shaped throughout the time sequence. At the different time intervals, the cultural landscape is different. One cultural landscape is the result of the former landscape, and it is also the beginning and condition of the next one. So if we want to well understand the current cultural landscape, we need to know the historical changing process of the landscape. From the 1970s on, Berkeley School declined gradually and Sauer's ideas were abandoned finally in North America, the discussion on the geographical imagination has replaced the early logical positive studies. In some situation, Sauer even becomes the whipping target of post modernism scholars. Actually, geographical facts and imagination are the two aspects of one geographical question, they are complementary but not expelled. From this point of view, Sauer's works still have important meaning for the development of Chinese geography.