Not Yet a Placeless Land
376 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
1 map
Paperback
Release Date:21 Jun 2011
ISBN:9781558498716
Not Yet a Placeless Land
Tracking an Evolving American Geography
University of Massachusetts Press
Today it is taken as a given that the United States has undergone a nationwide process of homogenization—that a country once rich in geographic and cultural diversity has subsided into a placeless sameness. The American population, after all, spends much of its time shopping or eating in look-alike chain or franchise operations, driving along featureless highways built to government specifications, sitting in anonymous airports, and sleeping in forgettable motels.
In this book, cultural geographer Wilbur Zelinsky challenges that nearly universal view and reaches a paradoxical conclusion: that American land and society are becoming more uniform and more diverse at the same time. After recounting the many ways in which modern technologies, an advanced capitalist market system, and a potent central political establishment have standardized the built landscape of the country's vast territory and its burgeoning population over the past two hundred and fifty years, he also considers the vigor of countervailing forces. In a carefully balanced assessment, he documents steady increases in the role of the unpredictable, in the number and variety of arbitrarily located places and activities, and the persistence of basic cultural diversities. Contrary to popular perceptions, place-to-place differences in spoken language, religion, and political behavior have not diminished or disappeared. In fact, Zelinsky shows, novel cultural regions and specialized cities have been emerging even as a latter-day version of regionalism and examples of neo-localism are taking root in many parts of the United States.
In this book, cultural geographer Wilbur Zelinsky challenges that nearly universal view and reaches a paradoxical conclusion: that American land and society are becoming more uniform and more diverse at the same time. After recounting the many ways in which modern technologies, an advanced capitalist market system, and a potent central political establishment have standardized the built landscape of the country's vast territory and its burgeoning population over the past two hundred and fifty years, he also considers the vigor of countervailing forces. In a carefully balanced assessment, he documents steady increases in the role of the unpredictable, in the number and variety of arbitrarily located places and activities, and the persistence of basic cultural diversities. Contrary to popular perceptions, place-to-place differences in spoken language, religion, and political behavior have not diminished or disappeared. In fact, Zelinsky shows, novel cultural regions and specialized cities have been emerging even as a latter-day version of regionalism and examples of neo-localism are taking root in many parts of the United States.
I do not know any other U.S. geographer who could or would undertake writing about the many topics discussed in this volume. While I know many who could write about a single topic or two, and others who could write about a region, I know of no one who has both the depth and breadth to write such a treatise. There is absolutely no question in my mind but that Wilbur Zelinsky's Not Yet A Placeless Land will be cited by scholars in geography, history, sociology, and American studies for many years.'—Stanley D. Brunn, coauthor of America's Political Geography
'Zelinsky creates a sometimes maddening but ultimately rewarding experience. . . . Zelinsky concludes that the US is becoming simultaneously more uniform and more diverse. While these conclusions are perhaps obvious, arriving at them with a qualified guide provides refreshing new perspectives. . . . Highly recommended.'—Choice
'College-level collections strong in American geography and sociology will find the far-ranging scope of this examination to be intriguing.'—Midwest Book Review
'Refreshingly, Zelinsky has the intellectual courage to tackle huge questions and broad national-level overviews, and he firmly grounds his theories in mountains of empirical evidence. . . . Zelinsky's relentless curiosity and love of his country shows through in every page, and anybody interested in its cultural geography would do well to read and take inspiration from it.'—Journal of Cultural Geography
'The final substantive chapter is the book's heart. Here Zelinsky originally and concisely digests the previous information and asks whether genuine culture regions still exist in the United States. His answer is yes, but with a twist. . . . Not Yet a Placeless Land deserves careful attention across the broad spectrum that is American Studies.'—American Studies
'Not Yet a Placeless Land is a wise and wonderful book, a fitting capstone to a powerful life's work.'—Indiana Magazine of History
'The wealth of examples [Zelinsky employs] enables him to effectively swim upstream against the flow of arguments in favor of diminishing diversity. In Zelinsky's final tome, capping a distinguished life and prolific career, he establishes with clarity of expression and wry insights a counterbalance in the placelessness discourse that will appeal to a wide audience of scholars, students, and urban enthusiasts.'—Winterthur Portfolio
Wilbur Zelinsky is professor emeritus of geography at Penn State University. He is the author of numerous geographical studies of American society and culture, including his widely acclaimed book, The Cultural Geography of the United States.
