Representing Places Flashcards
Representation is the…
Description or portrayal of something/ someone in a particular way
Media is the means of…including TV /film/ photography /art /newspapers/ books/ songs etc that widely influences people
Communication
Media refers to means of communication including …/…/…/…/…/…/…
TV
Films
Photography
Art
Newspapers
Songs
Quantitative data is data that can be…, …. and is amendable to statistical manipulation (is numerical data)
Quantified, verified
E.g census data
Quantitative data is …
Data that can be quantified, verified and is amendable to statistical manipulation (is numerical data) e.g census data
Qualitative data is…
Descriptive information which often comes from focus groups/ interviews/ artistic depictions like photographs. It is used in a relatively unstructured and open ended way.
Qualitative data is…
Descriptive information which often comes from focus groups/ interviews/ artistic depictions like photographs. It is used in a relatively unstructured and open ended way.
Examples of types of representation e.g a map/ photograph etc
Map
Interview
Photograph
Textual source
Poetry
Music
TV and film
Art
Graffiti
Architecture
Digital sources
Strengths of using maps as a representation of a place
They can give factual detail about the location, land use (e.g roads/ settlements) and type of area that the place is e.g rural/ urban
They provide a sense of scale to see the distance between places
Historical maps can be used alongside contemporary maps to study a place and identify changes in land use overtime
Weaknesses of using maps as a representation of a place
Maps can include bias e.g google maps will show certain businesses that have engineered their appearance to become more prominent in searches
The Mercator projection of maps (where the globe is a cylinder shape) distorts the sizes of may areas and is centred on Europe, showing the northern land masses at the top
Weaknesses of using maps as a representation of a place
Maps can include bias e.g google maps will show certain businesses that have engineered their appearance to become more prominent in searches
The Mercator projection of maps (the typical map displayed in a geography classroom) distorts the relative sizes of land mass (e.g Africa and Greenland appear the same size even though Africa is 14 times larger). It is based on the convention that the northern hemisphere is on the top of the Earth when there is no ‘top’ or ‘bottom’ to the Earth. The map is Eurocentric (puts Europe in the centre of the map) even though the Earth is a sphere
Strengths of using interviews as a representation of a place
They generate detailed insights about a person’s experience/ perceptive of a place and gives their true opinion
It can be very descriptive so provide lots of information
Weaknesses of using interviews as a representation of a place
They can be more opinionated than factual
The interviewer many be bias and ask leading questions which may influence the interviewee’s response
The interviewee might not be honest/ want to present themselves in a favourable light
Strengths of using photographs as a representation of a place
They visually represent the place
If unedited then they show the true image/ reality of a place
Weaknesses of using photographs as representations of a place
They can be out of date
They only capture a very small part/ aspect of a place (they can be selective in what they show)
Photos can easily be photoshopped/ edited to make a place seem nicer e.g to make a place more attractive to tourists he photo was taken, the time of year, the weather
Strengths of using textual sources as representations of a place
Novels can evoke a sense of place by giving the reader a sense/ feeling of what it’s like to be there
Weaknesses of using textual sources as representations of a place
Some places become very strongly associated with an author- this can lead to the place becoming promoted/ advertised in the way that it’s presented in the book (which may be different to/ worse/ better than the reality of the place). This can lead to ‘place prejudice’ e.g Liverpool has suffered form a negative portrayal including unemployment/ gangs/ drug problems
Advantages of using poetry as a representation of a place
They can enable the reader to sense and imagine what it’s like to be in the place
Allows people’s views of the place to be expressed and shown which might not be shown through textbooks etc
Weaknesses of using poetry as a representation of a place
Poem’s usually represent a place in a personal and specific way and from a specific view e.g political/ cultural etc
It is often not very factual due to heavily expressing an individual’s/ group’s feelings towards a place
Strengths of using music as a representation of a place
Different types of music can be associated with different geographical areas e.g the reggae is associated with Jamaica
The lyrics can portray places in a certain way and express the artist’s opinion/ experiences of the place e.g Empire State of Mind
Weaknesses of using music as a representation of a place
Often the lyrics aren’t factual but instead express someone’s opinion/ experience of a place
Strengths of using TV/ films at a representation of a place
The 2015 television drama of the Poldark novels had a positive impact on the Cornish tourist trade as tourists were inspired by the shots of the ‘dramatic’ coastline and beautiful beaches. The series also led to Rightmove experiencing a large increase in house-hunting enquiries in Cornwall as more people were wanting to live there.
Similarly, the Game of Thrones has led to 30,000 tourists annually visiting Northern Ireland to see where it was filmed and spending and average of £50 million a year, hence helping to boost the regional economy and having an important role in creating a positive representation of Northern Ireland. This is especially important as typically in the 1960s and 1990s, media representations mainly focused on conflict and ‘The Troubles’ which put Northern Ireland in a negative light
Weaknesses of using TV/ films as a representation of a place
Many crime dramas are located in urban areas which can lead to cities being portrayed in a negative light, even though not all crime occurs in cities
(Just like TV/ films can portray a place in a positive way, it can also do the opposite and portray them in a negative way)
Weaknesses of using TV/ films as a representation of a place
Many crime dramas are located in urban areas which can lead to cities being portrayed in a negative light, even though not all crime occurs in cities
(Just like TV/ films can portray a place in a positive way, it can also do the opposite and portray them in a negative way)
Strengths of using art as a representation of a place
Gives a viewpoint on how a place was before photographs became more common (e.g landscape paintings)
Can represent place on a more personal scale (can offer the artists’s perspective/ view of the place by the colours that they use, the aspects of the place they include/ focus on etc)
Weaknesses of using art as a representation of a place
Traditionally paintings were pastoral fantasies (depicted rural life in an idyllic way even though the majority of people living in the countryside at that time didn’t experience that ‘rural idyll’
These paintings have shaped many people’s mental images of the countryside as this ‘rural idyll’ and romantic (idyllic) vision is continued to be used through jigsaw puzzles, chocolate boxes and tourist brochures etc even though the countryside isn’t necessarily like that
Strengths of using architecture as a representation of a place
The type and style of the architecture can reflect on the wealth and stylistic views of the people living in the place at that time. E.g more modern buildings imply a higher level of wealth e.g loft conversions, big glass windows etc show that people have money to do up/ rebuild their homes
When representing a place, qualitative data is …(objective/ subjective) because it is based on personal tastes, perspectives and opinions
Subjective
E.g often a poem will focus on expressing the poet’s perspective and opinion of the place so it is subjective as other people might disagree with their view of the place (it isn’t factual)
… data is a type of data that has a spatial/ geographical component (can be mapped)
Geospatial
(It can also just be called spatial, geospatial data and spatial data are the same thing)
Geospatial data is a type of data that has a …/…component (can be mapped)
Spatial
Geographic component
… data refers to data that is produced on large scale so has a large number of responses, population size and variety of data sets. It’s a record of whole data sets instead of just being a sample of data. It requires a huge amount of computational power (processing by computer systems e.g using algorithms) in order to be analysed to reveal trends/ patterns etc
Big
What is the English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
It is a system used where neighbourhoods are ranked from being most deprived to least deprived (relative to each other) based on 7 indicators/ domains of deprivation that are combined according to a weighted formula.
The English Index of Multiple Deprivation is a system of ranking neighbourhoods based on …(how many) domains of deprivation.
7
The…is a system used where neighbourhoods are ranked from being most deprived to least deprived (relative to each other) based on 7 indicators/ domains of deprivation that are combined according to a weighted formula.
English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
The 7 domains of deprivation used in the English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are…
Income, employment
Living environment, crime, barriers to housing and services
Education, health
How often is the UK census
Every 10 years
What is the UK census
An official survey of the population which is conducted once every 10 years by the Office for National Statistics in order to build a detailed snapshot of society including on demographics, health, education, employment, housing etc
What information is gained form the UK census
Demographics e.g ethnicity, age, gender
Education e.g level of education
Employment e.g occupation, employment status
Health e.g general health, long term illnesses
Housing e.g type of housing
Etc
Who uses the information gained from the UK census (it gives a detailed snapshot of society e.g demographics, housing, employment, health, education etc)
The government- to plan/ fund local services where they’re needed e.g schools/ doctors surgeries etc
Businesses- to better understand their customers e.g so a supermarket chain can decide where to open its new store
Voluntary organisations- to gain evidence to support applications for funding/ to get information about the local communities that they work with to know how to support them best
Academics and students- University Professors use it to support research that they’re working on/ students use it for coursework/ dissertations
The public- Use old census records to research family history as the data is released to the public 100 years after the census took place
Factors to consider when analysing a representation
Who created it (knowledge/ perspective/ age/ gender/ religion/ ethnicity/ occupation)
When was it created (historical context, is it outdated)
Why was it created (purpose- to educate/ inform/ express and opinion/ encourage tourism/ marketing)
Who is it intended for (who is the audience)
What form is it (e.g poem/ song/ painting/ text)
Provenance (source/ origin/ where it’s from)
What has been excluded/ left out of it
How does it compare to other representations
What images/ symbols/ metaphors are used
What colour/ language/ camera angle is used
A stereotype is a …
Widely held but fixed and oversimplified image/ idea of a particular type of person/ thing/ place.
(We often rely on stereotypes for our perceptions of a place, especially for places far away and for media places)
Examples of common representations/ stereotypes of Africa
Poverty
War
Bollywood
White beaches
Safari
Sunset
Crime
Corrupt governments
4 key sources of representations of Africa (where we get the stereotypes of Africa being a place of war/ poverty/ safari etc)
Historical representations
Disney movies
Book covers
US journalism (the news)
Historical representations have given Africa the negative stereotypes of a place of… , …. and having …people and many of these stereotypes continue to be used in the modern day.
In the 19th century many poems displayed these stereotypes e.g Rudyard Kipling described Africans as ‘half-devil, half-child’
Uncivilisation
Savage
Primitive
Did historical representations of Africa give it mostly positive or negative stereotypes
Negative
E.g that Africa was a place of un civilisation, savageness and where there were primitive people and these negative stereotypes continue to be used today
2 examples of Disney movies that contribute to the stereotype of ‘Africa-as-animals’ and ‘Africa as one big wild animal reserve’
Madagascar
The Lion King
What stereotypes do Disney movies like Madagascar and The Lion King give Africa
That it’s a big wild animal reserve and is a place full of animals
(Which is true for some parts of Africa but not true for other parts e.g the cities)
Many books about Africa feature…on their front cover
An Acacia tree with a sunset
(This gives Africa the stereotype of everywhere being like this when realistically many parts of Africa don’t look like this and this is just one of the many characteristics of Africa)
The….treatment refers to how the majority of books about Africa feature an Acacia tree with a sunset on their front cover
acacia-tree-sunset
How does Us journalism portray Africa
As a continent of unending horrors (in a very negative way and focusing only on poverty etc even when in some parts of Africa there has been economic growth etc)
For example magazines like the ‘Time’ publishing and image of a naked women from Sierre Leone dying of childbirth
True or false, both historical representations of Africa and US journalism portray Africa in a very negative way, focusing on ideas of poverty (US journalism) and uncivilisation, savagery and primitive people (historical representations)
True
Both historical representations of Africa and US journalism portray Africa in a very negative way. US journalism continues to focus on the idea of… whilst historical representations focus on …, …. and …
Poverty
Uncivilisation, savageness, primitive people
Both Disney movies (e.g Madagascar and The Lion King) and the majority of front covers of books about Africa mainly focus on what aspect of Africa
The sunset and the animals
E.g the majority of the book covers feature an acacia tree with a sunset (this is known as the acacia-tree-sunset treatment where no matter what aspect of Africa the book is about, they all have the same front cover)
E.g Disney movies present Africa as being one big wild animal nature reserve
One of the main reasons that Africa continues to be represented with such negative stereotypes (e.g poverty) is due to the influence of……
Western-based NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and international aid groups
(They want to focus on and emphasise how much poverty there is to convince people how much remains to be done so that they can try and attract funding etc as if they focus on what has already been accomplished then people are less likely going to want to give money or help as they don’t think their help would be as necessary or important)
Outline how geospatial data can be used to represent place characteristics (4)
Geospatial data is a type of quantitative data that has a spatial element and has location information tied to it e.g longitude and latitude coordinates (it is data that can be mapped)
Geo-referenced satellite images (satellite images linked to a known coordinate) show the physical geograohy and topography of the place (and to some extent land use) for example visually representing physical characteristics like rivers and mountains in an unbiased way.
Numbers of unemployed people could be presented as proportional circles on top of a basic map to clearly show how unemployment changes across a given area (which can also link to other characteristics like land use)
Chloroplast maps can be used to show patterns in the demographic population of the area including age, ethnicity, gender, religion as well as population density etc
(This would probably be 5-6 marks)
Cartographic sources meaning
Sources linked to making/ drawing maps e.g digital maps
