Historical Geographical Materialism: The Convergence of Marxism and Geography under a Process-Relational Space-Time Perspective

For generations, Marxist scholars have largely neglected geographical and spatial concepts, while geography itself has been dominated by empiricism and positivist methodologies. Since the 1960s, positivist geography has proven inadequate for addressing major spatial-related social development issues, prompting attempts to integrate Marxism with geography. Historical geographical materialism stands as one of the key outcomes of this endeavour. Drawing upon an examination of the principal figures and seminal texts within the scholarly history of historical geographical materialism, this article contends that historical geographical materialism should be defined as the intellectual framework through which numerous Marxist geographers spatialise Marxism by employing fundamental geographical concepts. By interpreting the scholarly trajectories of Henri Lefebvre and David Harvey, it explores the necessity and potential for Marxism and geography to mutually enrich one another. By identifying the process-relational conception of space-time as its core, it demonstrates both the distinctions and connections between historical geographical materialism and other strands of Marxist geography and critical geography. Drawing upon historical geographical materialism’s focus on the lifeworld and its analysis of how contemporary capitalist accumulation processes shape revolutionary subjects, the article concludes that this intellectual framework constitutes both a contemporary development of Marxist geography and a peoples’ geography that respects difference while pursuing solidarity.