Landscape Flashcards
(18 cards)
How does John Wylie define landscape in his 2014 work?
Wylie defines landscape as not just a visual scene to be appreciated from a distance, but as the world we live in and experience through all our senses—a mosaic of both natural and human-shaped environments.
What are the common meanings and associations of the term ‘landscape’?
Landscape can refer to a type of painting, a view of the outdoors (like hills and fields), shaped/gardened environments, suburban spaces, or any external environment inhabited by people.
Who introduced the concept of ‘cultural landscape’ in American geography and what was his main argument?
Carl Sauer introduced the idea in the 1920s, arguing against environmental determinism. He believed that human transformation of natural environments created ‘cultural landscapes’.
What was Carl Sauer’s influence on landscape studies?
Sauer’s concept of the cultural landscape became central to American geography, especially within the Berkeley School, and positioned landscape as a key geographical unit.
How did Denis Cosgrove’s view differ from Sauer’s?
Cosgrove argued that landscape is not an objective section of reality but a cultural and historical ‘way of seeing’, rooted in Western traditions, particularly Renaissance Europe.
How does Cosgrove link landscape to capitalism?
He links it to the rise of capitalist property relations, where landscapes were visually organized for landowners’ pleasure, and used to naturalize class divisions.
What does John Berger’s analysis of ‘Mr and Mrs Andrews’ reveal about landscape?
Berger shows how landscape painting can naturalize class relations and masculine control over nature, making ownership and power appear normal.
What does it mean to ‘read’ the landscape in geographical studies?
It means interpreting landscapes as texts—decoding how elements are arranged to convey meanings, where the perspective of the reader (observer) is critical.
Why do representations of landscapes matter more than absolute truths?
Because they shape how we understand and relate to the world, and different representations can highlight or obscure various social and political dimensions.
What did feminist geographers argue from the 1970s onwards?
That landscapes are gendered—they help construct, reinforce, or challenge gender identities, and geography often studies them in masculinist ways.
How does Blunt (2003) critique gendered representations of landscapes?
By analyzing images like Hicks’ ‘The Sinews of Old England’ (1857), which portray English identity through male strength and feminized domestic spaces, reinforcing gendered public/private divisions.
How is Shaughnessy Heights in Vancouver an example of an elite landscape?
Developed in the early 20th century to mimic 18th-century English landscapes, it reproduces elite identity and exclusivity, later incorporating racialized aesthetics differences between Anglo- and Chinese-Canadians.
What role does the Shaughnessy Heights Property Owners Association play?
It aims to maintain the exclusivity and heritage of the neighborhood, often reinforcing class and racial boundaries.
What was Don Mitchell’s criticism of cultural landscape studies?
He argued that too much focus was placed on imagined or visualized landscapes, neglecting the material, physical aspects and the labor that produces them.
What does Mitchell mean by landscape as ‘dead labour’?
He means that landscapes embody the labor that produced them, which is often invisible—e.g., built infrastructure as fixed capital or spaces of production and consumption.
How does Mitchell describe the violence in Californian agricultural landscapes?
Through descriptions of migrant labor, stoop-labor, pesticide exposure, and poor living conditions, he highlights the hidden exploitation that enables cheap food production.
What is ‘The Suburban Frontier’ by Claire Mercer about?
It is a study of middle-class suburban development in Dar es Salaam, exploring how urban landscapes are constructed and the social relations embedded in their formation.
What key theme links all the approaches to landscape discussed in the lecture?
All approaches highlight that landscapes are not neutral—they are shaped by power, culture, history, class, gender, and labor, and must be interpreted critically.
