GEOG 2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Fertile Crescent, Surplus Labour, Closed System
14 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
GOEG 2400
Introduction
Why this class:
• UN notes that growth of cities and urbanization of rural areas are irreversible b/c global shift to
technology and industrial oriented economies
• Urban spaces built to prevent interaction between wealthy and poor, "incompatible with the
ecological and moral survival or humanity"
Globalization and Urbanization:
• Urban opportunity myth, belief that better opportunities come with moving to urban areas
• Disconnect between what people perceive and what it actually is
• Slums largely concentrated in developing countries
• Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Chad** has highest population of urban dwellers
• Qualities of a good city: infrastructure, combat pollution, health care, education, transportation,
leisure, innovation, transparent government, affordable housing, inclusive urban planning
• 2008, first time ever where majority of the world's population lives in urban areas
• World's urban population is growing 4x as fast as world population
• Most urbanized countries: small in territories, highest concentration of people living in urban
spaces
• Mega city: over 10 million people
• Largest Urban Agglomerations are in developing countries, cities expanding beyond their
infrastructure and resources
• Strong relationship between capitalism, globalization, urbanization
Emergence of Capitalism:
• Agricultural revolution
o Neolithic era, 10,000 years ago
o Enabled surplus labour, more time devoted to other things like invention and trades
o Shift from nomadic to settlements
o Began in Egypt and Mesopotamia (fertile crescent)
o First documented city: Uruk
o Second: Americas, Mayan
• Feudalism
o New classes of people, the belief that some are better that others
o Ex. English monarch (feudal), celebrities (capital)
o Ideological change where people bought into social hierarchies
o Serfs bought this idea because they believed the rich could offer protection, elites depended
on serfs for food
o Began in 5th century, fall of Rome
o Medieval manor
• Closed system, no trade
• Self sufficient
• Not monetized, power based on land ownership, owned by sovereign and divided
among nobilities
• Not monetized, no savings, surplus, profit, accumulation for expansion
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Largest urban agglomerations are in developing countries, cities expanding beyond their infrastructure and resources. Feudalism: new classes of people, the belief that some are better that others, ex. Forced appropriation of surplus from labourers: all working class people exploited, rate of profit reflects extent of exploitation. Industrial revolution: movement from pastoral to manufacturing base societies, enclosure of land, getting peasants off the land and to go to city to work, pauperization of england, demand of cheap labour. Increased in percentage of employment in manufacturing and percentage of urban population: key to city development, tea, bread, sugar: cheap options for food. First time ever, lives and work of people no longer in same place: about the production of surplus, 3 kinds of capital for production, variable capital, constant capital, surplus. Issues with buying local: difficult to get people to buy into the concept, more expensive. Ldcs urbanizing faster than mdc, more people living in worse conditions.
