Place Flashcards
1
Q
Place definition - Oxford English Dictionary:
A
- a particular position, point or area in space, a location.
2
Q
What does place mean?
A
- to place (a thing) or idea
- to have a place, e.g. can be physical (house) or social hierarchy - e.g., to have a place at the table.
- to be out of place - not fitting in.
- to be in place - prepared.
3
Q
What are the two strands of place?
A
1) situatedness - position relative to a thing.
2) belonging - being connected in a way that is meaningful.
4
Q
Place as a concept:
A
- can be defined as a space with meaning.
- Tuan 1977 - ‘space has no signposts, footpaths, or a particular pattern, without human meaning space is nothing.’ ‘enclosed and humanised space is place. Compared to space, place as a calm centre of established values.’
5
Q
Why do we study place?
A
1) may be indicative of events/moments in the past. E.g., Hiroshima, Auschwitz and Tiananmen Square. May be that places are inseparable from these events. They may be symbolic or memorialised.
2) a sense of belonging - ordinary places but they have a hugely influential impact on our lives. May be mundane places, such as home or city.
3) place being mobilised as a site of protest - e.g. Occupy Movement in 2011.
4)iconic places, place as a gaze - associations with certain sentiment or ideals. E.g. Hawaiian beaches and ideas of relaxation.
6
Q
Terms ‘topos’ and ‘chora’:
A
- distinction between place and space can be traced back to Ancient Greece.
- ‘topos’ - closest association with ‘place’ although not necessarily the same definition - more of a location.
‘chora’ - space. e.g., choropleth maps/chorographic research. - topos is more specific and chora is quite abstract.
- Lenhart 2011 - ‘ranches within our state’ ranches - are a specific place whereas the idea of state is more generalised/abstract.
7
Q
Conceptualising space - location, locale and sense of place:
A
- ideas of space and place continued through up until the 17th century.
- however it wasn’t until the 1980s where we began to engage on a more theoretical level.
- Agnew and Duncan (1989) gave a triad of thinking:
1) location - point in space with specific relations to other points in space.
2) broader context for which social relations take place.
3) sense of place - subjective feelings of a place.
8
Q
Location:
A
- Refers to a specific point within a framework – e.g., co-ordinates, longitude or latitude, street address. Works as a location as ling as it gives the ability to reference it to other places.
- Location remains central to lots of geographical work, in particular things such as GIS.
9
Q
Locale:
A
- Refers to the setting and structure of a place – material construction, the built environment and things such as plants, streets, streets, desks. Things that make a place what it is.
- Because of this, even fictional places can have a locale – the locale is essentially what makes the place work.
- Here the location is not just the address but the social life and environmental translation that locales are structuring of social interactions that help forge values, attitudes and behaviours.
10
Q
Sense of place - Tuan:
A
- meaning can be given or derived from an area in two different ways:
+ in a direct and intimate way, for example through the senses such as vision, smell, sense and hearing. Mya be based on food you’ve eaten. Direct encounters. Memories of a place.
+ an indirect and conceptual way mediated by symbols, arts, etc. Imaginative geographies. Constructed through other forms of discourse or other people’s experiences - e.g. NYC as seen on TV or imagined in books. Can be manipulated or capitalised on.
11
Q
Place marketing and branding:
A
- SOP can be constructed through advertising - advertising is deliberately creating a specific sense of place.
- 1970s: end of industralisation meant councils and local govts were trying to make places attractive as cities needed to build new identities.
- e.g., In Exeter. aim is hub of local and independent businesses. Gift cards are offered - but still seen as clone town - only one independent shop.
12
Q
Topophilia:
A
- published by Tuan in 1974.
- from Greek ‘topos’ - place and ‘philia’ = love of.
- used to describe feeling a specific attachment to a very specific place, e.g., a home. There is distinct, unique encounter with the place due to personal attachment.
- the ‘bond’ between person and place.
13
Q
Topophobia:
A
- the idea of how certain landscapes have distinctly negative impacts on us.
- Ralph talked particularly about things such as ecological damage as creating topophobic landscapes. He drew on the language of Castro’s novel Death in the Northeast.
- can also be things we associate with horror or fear, e.g., rundown houses, graveyards, dark forests, etc.
14
Q
What is non-place?
A
- very neutral classification of place.
- popularised by French anthropologist Ague.
- where somewhere isn’t ‘unique’ or ‘filled with meaning’, sometimes referred to as ‘nowhere land’. e.g. motorways, supermarkets, airports, hotels.
- McDonaldisation - could be anywhere - some brands market themselves on the idea of consistency that comes with it.
15
Q
Criticisms of non-place?
A
- idea of not having a distinct identity can be useful if one is trying to offer a generalised experience.
- the means of production are not the same as the means of consumption. A place may be generic in appearance and construction but doesn’t mean it has any value. E.g. shopping centres may be a safe haven for teenagers.
