Environmental Education and Geography of Complexity

Geography is defined as 'a transition point between natural temporality and human temporality' (Maragliano, 1998). Presented like this, geography seems, at least at first sight, to assume an inexorable function as a linking discipline between nature and society. Unfortunately this pivotal role is not realised, given that geography is often deprived of much of its traditional content which has been taken over by other disciplines. Defining it as a 'transition point', for example, comes down in practice to relegating it to the role of a connecting 'corridor' between the temporality of nature and that of history, a function that is as limiting as it is exclusive. Moreover, without pushing this interpretation too far, it would appear that in the context of the various disciplines, the spatial category is ranked lower than the temporal perspective as a category of interpretation of reality. Geography thus turns out to be subordinated both to historical sciences, which in Italy have high status, and to those of nature. Maragliano (1998) also states that in the Italian school curricula history has been given the function of 'fostering the ability to read signs that varyingly characterise the rural and urban landscape of our country', while the social sciences, on the other hand, have been ascribed, as 'essential links', matters concerning problems of production, of migratory movements and problems relating to the environment. The latter suggestion is particularly incomprehensible.