2.1.1 The Concept of Place Flashcards
What are the three meanings of “place”?
- Location
- Locale
- Sense of place
Location
Where a place is physically located (e.g. using latitude and longitude).
Locale
Where everyday life takes place – the built environment, people, culture and customs.
Sense of place
The subjective and emotional meanings a place has to an individual.
What is our attachment to place influenced by?
The quality or intensity of experiences we have there.
Our attachment to place is subjective - Different groups or individuals may have a different sense of place of the same place. For example, one person may think of a city centre as a place of excitement and opportunity, whilst another person may think of it as a place of stress.
What is identity?
Where individuals share characteristics that they feel bind them together as a group, creating a shared identity for all the people from that place.
Localism
An affection with a particular place. e.g. The Manchester Bee.
Regionalism
Loyalty to a distinct region with a population that shares similarities. e.g. The Geordie Accent.
Nationalism
Loyalty and devotion to a country/state, which creates a sense of patriotism. e.g. Scottish Independence.
Nimbyism
“Not in my back yard”.
e.g. “I like wind turbines but not in my village!”.
What is an insider?
Someone who is familiar with a place and who feels welcome in that place (they feel like they belong there). E.g. Residents of a country, who all share the same culture, may feel like insiders in that country.
What is an outsider?
Someone who is unfamiliar with a place and who feels unwelcome and out of place there. They do not know the rhythms and routines of the place. E.g. An elderly person might feel like an outsider in a nightclub.
What are some examples of reasons that might make you feel like an outsider?
E.g. Age, sexuality, gender. For example, a young person might feel like an outsider in a retirement home, and an elderly person might feel like an outsider in a nightclub.
Example of an insider perspective
Paul Abbott’s Shameless | An insider perspective of a council estate in Manchester (where the programme was set)
Example of an outsider perspective
BAME visitors to National Parks | A recent survey revealed that only 1% of visitors to National Parks in the UK are from a BAME background – although they make up 10% of the population.
What was the charity that works to encourage BAME people to come to National Parks?
Mosaic
Experienced places
Places that people have spent time in. When a person visits or lives in a place their experiences, such as the things they see and the people they meet, shape their sense of that place.
Media places
Media places are places that people have not been to, but have created a sense of place for through their depiction in the media. (e.g. Book or film)
Case study for experienced and media places
The Rural Idyll
Near places
Places that are geographically close to where a person lives.
Far places
Places that are geographically distant from where a person lives.
Are people more likely to feel like outsiders in near or far places?
Far places - as they are less likely to have experienced them and feel comfortable in them.
Are people more likely to feel like outsiders in near or far places?
Far places - as they are less likely to have experienced them and feel comfortable in them.
How has globalisation affected people’s experience of near and far places?
- Improvements in travel mean that far places are quicker to get to, and can therefore be experienced more easily and frequently.
- Improvements in IT mean that people can be very familiar with media places – places they have no lived experiences of.
- People can remain closely connected with people and activities in far places using technology and the internet.
What does ‘placelessness’ refer to?
How globalisation is making places look and feel the same.
Example of a far place that feels near
Australia and New Zealand share similar culture and history but are geographically far away.
