changing places Flashcards
Geographical concept of place has which 3 aspects?
Location, Locale, Sense of Place
Location
where a place is on a map, its latitude or longitude coordinates
Locale
each place is made up of a series of locales or settings where everyday life activities take place, such as an office, a park, a home or a church. These settings affect social interactions and help forge values, attitudes and behaviour- we behave in a particular way in these places, according to social rules we understand. o Geographers agree that a locale need not be tied to a particular physical location , so a vehicle or an internet chat room may be a locale that structures interactions between people
John Agnew 1987 quote on locale
‘locale means not just the mere address but where of social life and environmental transformations’
Sense of Place
this refers to the subjective and emotional attachment people have to a place. This may be completely different when looked at from another’s perspective
Glastonbury example (e.g. could use for a 4 marker)
location: country of somerset, 23 miles south of Bristol, dry point on the low-lying somerset levels
locale: home to a number of visitors attractions including Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor- young Christ visited
o the national trust describes Glastonbury Tor as being ‘a spiritual magnet for centuries, for both Pagans and Christians’
sense of place: a place of great spiritual importance for people interested in paganism, religious or the King Arthur link
o Others: Glastonbury evokes emotions about the internationally famous music festival about the internationally famous music festival which takes place at Worthy farm in Pilton on the edge of Glastonbury
o First festival took place in June 1970, it was attend by 1500 people and cost £1 with free milk from the farm
Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz quote
‘There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…’
Yi-Fu Tuan’s approach to place
NAME?
Topophilia
A strong attachment to a place
Yi Fu Tuan 1974 quote
‘the human love of a place… diffuse as a concept, vivid, concrete as personal experience’
Topophobia
a dread or adverse reaction to a place
Ted Relph 1976
To be human is to live in a world that is filled with significant places’
Descriptive approach
This is the idea that the world is a set of places and each place can be studied and is distinct
A social constructionist approach
sees place as a product of a particular set of social processes occurring at a particular time.
For example, Trafalgar Square was built to commemorate a British naval victory in the 1800s and, using a social constructionist approach, could be understood as a place of empire and colonialism.
A phenomenological approach (Yi-Fu Tuan and Ted Relph)
interested in how an individual person experiences place, recognising a highly personal relationship between place and person
Ralph approach
Ralph argues that the degree of attachment, involvement and concern that a person or group has for a particular place is critical in our understanding of place.
Doreen Massey approach (Sense of place)
Places are dynamic, with multiple identities and no boundaries. They are constantly changed and moulded by the outside influences of the wider world.
E.g. The result of lived experience in a nation e.g. little Chalfont
Cultural approach - Jon Anderson
Places are given meaning by the traces that exist in them- physical traces such as
● Material traces are physical additions to the environment and include things such as buildings, signs and statues.
● Non-material traces include events, performances or emotions which occur in that place.
e.g. Glastonbury is given meaning by the Glastonbury music festival.
Example of concept of place/ changing places
Trafalgar Square, the traces are the statue of Lord Nelson and a large public square.- behind them social constructionists - commemorate Nelson’s naval victory - commemoration of British leadership and victory - can be understood as a space of Empire- a place of pride and patriotism. Today the square is still used to celebrate victory - e.g. Olympics. 4th plinth used to change place meanings - innovation and diversity. Also used for protests
Protests related to place
In London, from 2018 onwards, climate change activists, led by Extinction Rebellion, held peaceful protests centred around Parliament Square.
-the activists used the power of place to attract attention and lodge their message in people’s memories
Example of changing place- 9/11 memorial , NY
-All places are changing, but few have gone through such dramatic changes in the last 15 years as Ground Zero, the site of the former world trade centre in NY
-Different views on memorial – some say is beautiful , others its cold, stark and uncomfortable
Person-Place relationship
people define themselves through a sense of place and by living in place and carrying our a range of everyday practice there
Lived experience has 3 aspects.
NAME?
Identity at different scale
Localism, Regionalism, Nationalism, Globalism. A person may think of their indentity as layers, that derive from distinct aspect of their family history, upbringing and experience
Localism
an affection for or emotional ownership of a particular place.
Examples
NAME?
Regionalism
consciousness of, and loyalty to, a distinct region with a population that shares similarities
Examples
- In Cornwall, the Mebyon Kernow party has been leading the campaign for a National Assembly for Cornwall - because Cornwall has it own distinct identity- language- and heritage - has the same right to self-rule as other parts of the UK (like Scotland and Wales)
Nationalism
loyalty and devotion to a nation, which creates a sense of national consciousness. Patriotism could be considered as an example of a sense of place.
Examples- nationalism
At a national level many people identify with place through:
● a common language
● a national anthem
● a flag
● cultural and sporting events.
A resurgence in the Welsh language and culture has highlighted a stronger national identity among the Welsh in recent years.
Doreen Massey/Global sense of place/ Globalism
The economic and social geographer Doreen Massey wrote about a global sense of place, in which she questioned the idea that places are static.
She argued instead that places are dynamic, they have multiple identities and they do not have to have boundaries.
Massey argued that the character of a place can only be seen and understood by linking that place to places beyond. She concluded, ‘What we need, it seems to me, is a global sense of the local, a global sense of place.’
Examples/ globalisation dangers
- globalisation has made place homogenised (shown by increase of global chains)
-‘geography of nowhere James Kunstler - clone towns (4/10 in the UK)
- placelessness (the idea that a place could be anywhere and lacks uniqueness)
- occurs when global forces have greater influence on shaping place than local factors.
Response to Globalisation
One particular response to globalisation has been a greater focus on ‘local’ place and the promotion of local goods and services.
Example- Totnes
- 2012, Costa tried to come to Totnes - within weeks of the proposal , 3/4s of the population had signed a petition that they would boycott it (prevent it becoming a clone town). Costa dropped plans after 8 month battle. Did not want Totnes to become a clone town (8/10 shops are independent.
- Totnes in South Devon created a local currency in 2007 (ended in 2019)
Example- Bristol
- The Bristol Pound was launched in 2012 . In 2020, trying to launch an e wallet (limited success and development)
Religious identity
Religion, too, can be used to foster a sense of identity in place
At a local level, churches, mosques and synagogues are places where people from the same religious identity come together to worship. There may also be larger sacred places such as Bethlehem or Mecca where people go on pilgrimages.
Examples of changing identities
Changes in the nature of places- be they social, enviro or economic- affect people and their identity
football fans after their national team losing a match
if a major employer or injury fails, those made redundant will miss the social interactions associated with the locale of the factory or office and must re-evaluate their role in society
Sahaviriya Steel 2015
announced the closure of Redcar Steelworks in NE England with a loss of 1700 job
What did Tata do in 2016?
Announced its intention to sell its entire UK business- this would result in the loss of a further 1200 jobs in the north east and 4000 at Port Talbot in South Wales
How did this change the indentites?
result in community members increased awareness of themselves as people living in a particular place
Activism as a result of identity
-Greater consciousness of and loyalty to a place (localism, regionalism, nationalism, patriotism, eve pro-Europeanism) may lead to some form of activism
Examples
2011, Tahrir Square in Cairo was the focal point of the Egyptian revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak. Despite the banning of public protests in Egypt, the square became a symbol for the pursuit of democracy in Egypt.
Belonging
- To belong is to be part of a community.
- The extent to which one might feel a sense of belonging can be influenced by factors like age, gender, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, religion, and level of education.
The importance of belonging in placemaking/regeneration
- Belonging is increasingly seen as one of the key factors that makes a place sustainable and successful.
- Regeneration schemes now often focus as much on the social environment as on the built environment and the work of different agencies and individuals can have a positive impact on people’s lived experience of the place in which they live
Impact of globalisation on belonging (synoptic link)
Migration has increased making places more ethnically and culturally diverse- e.g. London (largest Chinese New Year Festival outside China and other festivals).
In spite of its multicultural status, there are still minority ethnic clusters in parts of London, including Chinatown in Soho and Banglatown in and around Brick Lane. These have tended to develop, with dedicated shops and services, for mutual support and cultural preservation.- may not feel belonging? or helps them feel belonging?
The Transition Time Movement
places emphasises community involvement and has developed a clearer sense of belonging in places all over the world. Founded in 2007- in response to climate change and peak oil, now responds to globalisation (and dilution of place identity)-» over 1000 Transition initiatives worldwide
Wellbeing
Features which promote happiness and well-being in a place - depend on positionality
Manchester
In 2020, the Sunday Times deemed Altrincham in Greater Manchester as the best place to lived due to its revitalised town centre, schools and proximity to Dunham Massey - a National Trust property and park) and the tons initial response to the COVID 19 pandemic
Placemaking
Placemaking- The deliberate shaping of an environment to facilitate social interaction and improve a community’s quality of life
Important of place and human experience in place making
The placemaking movement, which has expanded rapidly in recent years, places great emphasis on all three aspects (identity, belonging and wellbeing)
Examples of placemaking
● The promotion of place is crucial in the marketing of holiday destinations.
● Food items are increasingly marketed in terms of the place from which they came, and the popularity of events may be linked to the reputation of the place at which they happen. The Glastonbury Music Festival would be an example here.
● People may ‘buy into’ or ‘consume’ place. For example, those who like the countryside tend to holiday in rural locations, enjoy books and television programmes about these areas, spend money on walking gear and maps and even furnish their houses in a rustic country style. Numerous products are marketed so that people can buy into the notion of the rural idyll.
Social and spatial exclusion
All places are shaped by people and understood by them in different ways
It follows that anybody whose behaviour varies from what is seen as normal may feel uncomfortable
The dominant groups, who have economic, social, and cultural power in a location or a society, may make such ‘wrongdoers’ feel out of place.
Example of people, activities and events can be seen as in place or out of place
NAME?
Example 2- Women
Gender roles - ‘a women’s place is in the home’ - affected types of places women felt comfortable
Example 3 - Migrants
people without place- In the UK , media reports, and anti migration group use metaphors (water, blood and disease) to describe the influx of refugees.
Deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean highlight how government aren’t in charge of people not in their place as such
Presence of migrants has met with great resistance and calls from some to protect ‘our place’ and ‘our culture’ against people who do not belong here
What are geographers interested in?
interested in finding out about groups in society that are excluded not spatially but also socially, politically, or economically and the reasons for this separation. – e.g. immigrants; local nationals, but feel separate from it).
o There is a greater need to understand why people feel out of place due to the influx of immigrants from other countries
Tim Cresswell on insider and outside perspectives
argues that people, things and practices are strongly linked to particular places and when these links are broken, they are deemed to have committed something of a crime
- e.g. graffiti on historic buildings or litter in AOOB
Who may feel excluded?
ethnic minorities, immigrants, local nationals (born and brought up in a place but who feel separate from it).
Homeless people- made to feel like an outsider - anti homeless spikes in sheltered areas outside flats in Southwark, London
Insider perspectives
- People who feel like they belong in a certain place and that is their home
- Born in Country X or their parents were born there
- Permanent resident
- Holds a passport for X
- Can work, vote, claim benefits like free housing and healthcare
- Fluent in the local language
- Understand unspoken rules of the society of X
- Conforms to local norms
- Safe, secure, happy- feels at home or ‘in place’ in country
Outsider perspective
- People who feel out of place in a certain place and that they don’t belong
- Not born in X, they are an immigrant/ or their parents or grandparents were immigrants
- Temporary visitor
- Holds a foreign passport/ or limited visa to stay in X
- May not be able to work, vote, claim benefits
- May be travelling for business/ in search of work, pleasure, safety ( an asylum seeker)
- Not fluent. Does not understand local idioms
- Frequently make faux paus or misunderstand social interactions
- Homesick, in exile- feel ‘out of place’
o In the past, and often still today, this has included travellers, protestors, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people
o Migrants are often referred to as ‘out of place’.
Sense of being an insider or an outsider
The significance that an individual or group attaches to a particular place may be influenced by feelings of belonging or alienation, a sense of being an insider or an outsider.
Relph 1976 quote
‘To be inside a place is to belong to it and identify with it, and the more profoundly inside you are the stronger is the identity with the place’
Positionality
factors such as a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, socioeconomic status, and sexuality may affect their perception of place.
Example of positionality affecting perspectives on place
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
- to Muslims - the holiest of religious places
- to non -Muslims- viewed as a more historical and cultural place
People may feel excluded due to negative experiences that create negative perception and limited attachment or people may also have a sense of belonging and positive perception of a place because of positive experiences there- example
the expected behaviours and norms associated with expensive or exclusive hotels or restaurants may make people from disadvantaged background feel alienated (e.g. exclusionary rules like dress codes)
OR
for those familiar with the routines , rituals and traditions of a place they will feel welcomed and thoroughly in place
Example of insider/outside perspectives
Asian and Black people excluded from Rural England
- numbers of black and asian people in the national trust or the ramblers is v small
- Historically migrants went to cities so they have little connection to the rural idyll
- A project called Mosaic builds links between black and ethnic minorities and the national parks and YHA etc
- What is the rural idyll?
- after the decline of the industrial north, London became more important but very polluted- national propaganda advertised the countryside as an ideal Britain. - shown by John Constables Hay Wain
White people excluded from inner urban areas?
- for example, Tower Hamlets - % of the population who are Asian origin is larger than the percentage of the white British
- 2021- 39.4% white, 44% Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh
Xenophobia and racism
People actively compare themselves with others who live in distant places , specifically those who they feel are different, alien or exotic
‘us’ and ‘them’
- whinging poms - Australian name for the English
-On the international stage, racist ideologies have been used to justify atrocities committed in wars and by colonial powers, including the British
Different approach to ‘us’ and ‘them’
The inspiration for the international Fairtrade movement has been to reduce inequalities between us and them, approaching growers and producers, wherever they are located, with greater respect
Doreen Massey quote (approach to the other)- use in a 20 marker
‘if history is about time, Geography is about space… space is the dimension of the simultaneous.. this means that space is the dimension that presents us with the existence of the other. Space presents us with the question of ‘how are we going to live together’ – MASSEY
Near and Far places
- They could refer to the geographical distance between places
- Equally, they could describe the emotional connection with a particular place and how comfortable a person feels within that place.
- ‘near’ places today do not necessarily foster identities of familiarity and belonging due to globalised culture, travel and media-
- Far places not so far and far-off places are not automatically strange, uncomfortable, and different.
Friction of distance/ globalisation
If we use a faster method of travel or if we use the internet to maintain contact with people in distant places, perhaps this division of the world begins to break down – as the so called friction of distance is overcome
Levy 2014 quote
With the forces of globalisation, some geographers propose that space is reducing in importance and that ‘the Near is often an expanding domain’ – Levy 2014
Experienced places
Some places feel more familiar than others partly due to personal experience
Today people travel a lot. We have access to faster transport and have more leisure time
You may feel a deeper emotional attachment to a place that you have visited in person and felt you understood, than somewhere you heard about on the news
‘You had to be there’
- environmental stimuli (all sense)
Media
We cannot go everywhere, so we depend on media representations of some places to help us make sense of the world- do we really gain a sense of place?!
In the so called ‘information age’, we are bombarded with images and other forms of representation of the world
The ‘reality’ of a place can be far different to that put across by the media and this is most clearly seen through the portrayal of rural places.
Media portrayal example - rural living
o - stereotyped as a happy, healthy and close-knit community with few problems of urban life – was idyllised
o - Doc Martin
o - Postman Pat
o Reinforce the stereotypes with focusing on more nostalgic images of the countryside
o Advertising companies hides a host of problems – which disadvantage low income household sin rural areas
Unemployment and underemployment
The scarce availability of affordable housing
The reduction in public transport services
Rural homelessness
