A Difusão vista através de um prisma

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to place geographic perspective in diffusion studies, by means of a theoretical review. First, it presents the basic definitions of the process of diffusion and the traditions of diffusion research in Social Sciences. Then, it examines the different lines of geographic investigation: the cultural and the informational approaches; the transition from the informational approach to the market approach; the market and infrastructural approach; and the integration of the informational and the market approaches, emphasizing the behavioral aspect. Finally, it discusses the usefulness of diffusion studies and the relationships between diffusion and development.

Annexed to the work, there are two parts: the first exemplifies an approach to spatial diffusion, in which factors and impacts are viewed as interconnected elements of the process; the second presents some suggestions to the study of agriculture modernization in Brazil.