The concept of place. Flashcards
Place is more than a location - this is often something stated by geographers, why?
This is because a place can be thought of as more than just a location which can be plotted on a map or found with a grid reference.
A location does not tell us anything about a PLACE. What makes a place different is elements such as who is there, what it’s like there or how the place has changed.
Generally what is the idea about what ‘place’ actually is?
The idea is that a place is an amalgamation of all the things that come together to make a place what it is?
Could think of a place as the web of characteristics, flows and perceptions that are all attached to a specific location.
What are five factors that combine to form a place.
Theoretically, there are endless amounts of things that can make a ‘place’ a place, but the five key factors are the following:
- A places location
- The physical characteristics of the landscape.
- The human characteristics (who resides there, and what they are like) and human features of the landscape (land use).
- The flows in and out of a place
- The sense of place, e.g. the emotional meanings the place has to people or groups of people. For example, for a person and their family, a place may feel like ‘home’.
Aside from location, how do the other four elements making up a place constantly change?
-The physical characteristics of an area are always changing over long time scales and short ones. E.g. rivers can migrate over time, or natural disasters can alter the physical landscape of a place.
-The human characteristics of an area can change over entire lifetimes, as new people are born in a place and others die, the places human character will change - people also migrate in and out of a place, changing human character in the short term of a place.
- The flows in and out of a place change, e.g. flows of money (FDI) or a business in the area decides to relocate - would move people, ideas and resources too.
- The sense of place can change over time for people and groups. People’s lived experiences often change how they perceive places and their emotional attachments to a place. Someone may look at a local playground with excitement as a child, but nostalgia as they grow up. Different people will also have different perceptions of the same place depending on past experiences and character.
Why is the idea of place important in developing personal and shared identity(s)?
Many people develop their identities (the sense of who they are) based on the places that they feel connected to and usually welcome in. E.g. a person may consider coming from the North of England a part of them (accent, food ect…)
- This idea also helps to develop shared identities over a larger area/ group of individuals. Many people share characteristics that they feel bind them together as a group, this can help to build shared identities where lots of people from the same place feel a sense of collective identity. Better known as a community.
What different scales can people feel shared identities?
-Local scale - E.g. All the people from the same village sharing a positive perception of that place.
-Regional- E.g. The individuals from a region sharing an accent.
National scales- E.g. the individuals of a nation sharing a language or a sense of patriotism for that nation.
Why do some people feel they ‘belong’ to places or not.
When people can derive some of their identity from a place, often they will be considered as belonging to that place (or not) as they feel connected to said place. This often makes people ‘insiders or outsiders’ in specific places.
When lots of people feel this feeling towards a place, this can help to form a community, where a few/many people with similar connections to a place feel they belong to a place.
What is an insider in regards to a place?
An insider is someone who is familiar with a place and feels welcome and a sense of belonging in that place. E.g. residents of a country will share cultural values and will feel like insiders in that country.
What is an outsider in regards to place?
An outsider is someone is someone who feels unwelcome or excluded from a place. Eg. they don’t feel that they belong there. E.g. international immigrants who don’t share the same cultural values as the residents of a country, may feel like outsiders in the country that they are moving into.
What are some of the variables which can determine how much of a sense of belonging a person feels towards a place?
There are many factors or variables like this, such as age, gender or sexuality. These groups are more likely to have similar personalities and interests as well as more shared experiences and are thus more likely to feel welcome in a place where there are more people like them.
What are experienced places?
Experienced places are places that people have visited and spent time in. When a person visits or lives in a place their experiences, such as the things they see or the people they meet, shape their sense of place.
What are media places?
Media places are places that people have not been to, but have created a sense of place through the depiction of that place through media. Eg. Books, art or films.)
Why may media and experienced perceptions of a place be different?
A persons sense of a media place may be very different to the lived experience of a person for the same place. This is because the media may present a place in a specific light for a specific purpose, which may not actually represent the place as a whole. Whereas a person with an experienced perception of a place will be more likely to understand the entire place as a whole.
Give an example where a media place may depict a place in a specific light.
Tourist websites may portray some places as different to how they actually are - eg the Caribbean is often portrayed as peaceful and naturally beautiful, whereas many of the locals may see it their place as a place ridden with poverty and crime, providing different place perceptions for different people.
What are near and far places?
Near places can be thought of as geographically near to where a person lives, whereas far places are places which are geographically distant from where a person lives.
