欧美发达国家现代人文地理学研究的方法论已成系统。本文以国外文献与著名人文地理学者论点为依据,以现代人文地理学哲学思潮与衍生的研究方法论为基础,探讨了方法论与衍生的研究方法与其拓展的研究领域及其动力关系,追索并总结出前沿研究与研究流派脉络,以及探讨不同流派不断延伸的具体研究内容。

The European and American developed countries have well advanced a modern system on human geography research methodology. Based on the overseas literature and famous geography scholars' arguments, and referring to the modern human geography philosophical thoughts and their derivative methodology, firstly, the author explores the dynamic relationship between the methodology, together with its derivative research methods, and its expanding areas of research, we think that the spatial dynamic essence of ‘cultural turn’ is the microcosmic motile system of culture-constructing space:human behavior is the dynamic source of constructing space; the force of human culture (cohesion) is changing the space. Secondly, the author traces back to sum up the forefront research and its thread of different schools and think that the space in ‘cultural turn’ research is ‘existential space’ with ‘time-culture’ structure. The theory of place is the basic theory of the deconstruction of ‘existential space’. There are three new aspects of research:new ideas of epistemology; new ideas of research methodology and a kind of synthetical school with aim of explaining the culture-space structure. Thirdly, the derivative concrete research contents from different schools and the research of society-life spatial structure and the theory of place are the current forefront of human geography.