The theory of first effective settlement Wilbur Zelinsky
Wilbur Zelinsky
Wilbur Zelinsky was an American cultural geographer. He was most recently a professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University. He also created the Zelinsky Model of Demographic Transition.
What is Zelinsky's theory of first effective settlement?
Zelinsky's Theory of First Effective Settlement was that the dominant culture of a nation is defined by the first settlers who came to an area who are able to effect a self-perpetuating society. It was first stated by Wilbur Zelinsky in 1973.
What is the first effective settlement?
‘First effective settlement’ has a long history of popular as well as academic use. It had a wide currency in the nineteenth century US, being put to various and sometimes conflicting uses. It illustrates the presence of lawlike generalizations as important elements of popular geographic thought.
Who were the first effective settlers?
For Kniffen and Zelinsky, the first effective settlers were the largely anonymous representatives of the ‘culture areas’ from which they came and whose distinctive traits they impressed on newly occupied territories.
What is the theory of first effective settlement?
Zelinsky's Theory of First Effective Settlement was that the dominant culture of a nation is defined by the first settlers who came to an area who are able to effect a self-perpetuating society. It was first stated by Wilbur Zelinsky in 1973. The theory states that these first settlers have significant impact on the social and cultural geography of the area, however small these first settlers may have been. They lay the groundwork for the following generations and are perhaps more important than the contributions of thousands of new immigrants a few generations later. Colin Woodard further expands upon this theory in his book, American Nations.
What did Zelinsky study?
Zelinsky made numerous geographical studies of American popular culture, ranging from the diffusion of classical place-names to spatial patterns of personal given names and to the spatial patterning of religious denominations.
Where did Zelinsky get his PhD?
An Illinoisan by birth, but a "northeasterner by choice and conviction", Zelinsky received his Bachelor's Degree and PhD at University of California, Berkeley, where he was a student of Carl Sauer. He received his doctorate in 1953. Zelinsky received his Master's Degree from the University of Madison, Wisconsin.
Who was the first director of the Population Issues Research Center at Penn State?
During the 1960s, along with Gordon DeJong, Warren Robinson, and Paul Baker, Zelinsky helped launch a population research center and coordinate an interdisciplinary graduate instructional program in population studies at Penn State and thus helped lay the foundation for what would become the dual-title Graduate Program in Demography. During 1972–1973 Zelinsky served as the first Director of the Population Issues Research Center (what would become the Population Research Institute at Penn State).
