Chesapeake Bay imaginaries: a human geography

Abstract

Nature has been profoundly and increasingly impacted by the expansion of human society over time and space. While scholarly examination of the relationship between society and nature dates at least to ancient Greece, there is limited evolution in the ways we think about the natural environment. As human society reaches the point where nature is produced it finds itself at significant global risk as a result of its lack of appropriate consideration now that all parts of the earth are affected by human actions. This thesis examines this relationship both historically through a literature review and regionally by use of surveys and interviews to reveal insights into how a thin crosssection of society views nature. The literature review discloses the broad diversity of relations we have exhibited through time, until recent environmental conditions have required a more urgent examination of the relationship with nature. Surveys and interviews expose the perspectives participants embrace through consideration of their committed relationship with a particular expression of nature, the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland.