In The Nature of Space, pioneering Afro-Brazilian geographer Milton Santos attends to globalization writ large and how local and global orders intersect in the construction of space.
Milton Santos Books
Milton Santos was a Brazilian geographer whose impactful work redefined the understanding of our world. Despite facing a thirteen-year exile imposed by a military dictatorship, he transformed this period into an opportunity for study and teaching across Europe, America, and Africa. His prolific output of over forty books, written in multiple languages, established him as a pivotal reference for critically analyzing the contemporary global landscape. Santos was a keenly insightful thinker, distinguishing between the 'new' and the 'innovative,' and his approach to geography was characterized by a rigorous, combative spirit that challenged conventional perspectives.
The Shared Space
The Two Circuits of the Urban Economy in Underdeveloped Countries
- 280 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Milton Santos presents a compelling critique of existing theories on urbanization and spatial organization in developing countries, arguing that they fail to capture the complexities of these environments. His work, translated from L'Espace Partagé, challenges conventional perspectives and emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of the socio-economic factors influencing urban spaces. The book is a significant contribution to urban studies, particularly in the context of underdeveloped nations.
Toward an Other Globalization: From the Single Thought to Universal Conscience
- 132 pages
- 5 hours of reading
This book presents an alternative theory of globalization from the critical perspective of the Third World, which has faced the most significant burdens of this process. It provides a unique first-hand view that is often missing from both proponents of Western dominance and scholars critiquing it from within the globalizing context. The author, Brazilian geographer Milton Santos, is renowned in Latin America and parts of Europe, yet largely inaccessible to English-speaking audiences. Only one of his earlier works has been translated, leaving his most significant contributions from the 1980s until his death in 2001 unavailable in English. The translation of Towardan Other Globalization, one of his last published works, addresses this gap. Santos argues for understanding globalization in three ways: as a fable (the narrative shaped by globalizing agents), as perversity (the current reality shaped by globalization), and as possibility (the potential for a different future). Through this analysis, he presents an alternative theory rooted in the Global South's perspective. Santos concludes with a message of revolutionary optimism, advocating for a vision of globalization that is transformative and hopeful, yet grounded in realism.