The end of geography?
People have been predicting the death of geography for nearly four
decades on the basis of the trends discussed above. Toffler (1970) led
this perspective in Future Shock, arguing that the evolution of transport
and communications technologies and the intensified flows of people
that have resulted imply that ‘place is no longer a primary source of
diversity’ (quoted in Leyshon, 1995, p. 35). More recently, the subtitle
of O’Brien’s Global Financial Integration proclaimed ‘the end of
geography’ – a situation involving ‘a state of economic development
where geographical location no longer matters’ (O’Brien, 1992, p. 1)
(see Cartoon 1.1).