Who’s Afraid of Geohistory?

The article claims the reasons for adopting the perspective of geohistory in the teaching of history and geography and contrasts the fears that it renders irrelevant the teaching of geography and distorts the vocation of history to construct geopolical knowledge. The first argument in favor is a correct view of geo-history according to the conceptualization that Fernand Braudel has done in many of his works beginning with classes in prison camps where he was held prisoner during World War II. Then, the article considers the arguments suspiciously and decidedly opposed to geohistory supported by scholars — geographers and historians — and by teachers and analyzes them as arising from deformations and simplifications of the Braudelian theory. Finally, it offers examples of good application of geohistory, since only the didactic transposition of knowledge recognized as valid from the point of view geo-historical can bring out the interweaving between geographical thought and historical thought.