What are insiders and outsiders? How can this change place perception?

Question 1

What are perspectives on place?

Answer 1

The subjective ideas people create of what a place will look like and how they may feel in it. However, these can directly differ with the true reality of the place.

Question 2

How can place be defined as a social construct?

Answer 2

Different people in a place feel ‘in place’ whilst others feel ‘out of place.’.

Question 3

What makes people feel ‘in place’?

Answer 3

• Franchising (e.g familiar restaurants like Nando’s)
• Viewed in the media
• Aware of culture and capable of understanding the language.

Question 4

What makes people feel ‘out of place’?

Answer 4

• Passport required to enter the place
• Language barrier when communicating with people.

Question 5

What is an insider?

Answer 5

Someone who is familiar with a place. This does not necessarily mean that they feel comfortable in the place ( they can still feel ‘out of place’).

Question 6

What is an outsider?

Answer 6

Someone who has not experienced a place directly, however this person may have perceptions about the place.

Question 7

What factors affect peoples sense of being ‘in place’ or ‘out of place’?

Answer 7

• Demographic factors such as place of birth, residence or age.
• Socio- psychological factors such as gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity or role in society
• Positionality.

Question 8

Why did economic change take place in the London Docklands? How did economic change affect how the London Docklands were percieved?

Answer 8

1. Economic change occurred when the secondary industry at the Docks transitioned to tertiary industry as a financial centre was established in the area following de-industrialisation.
2. Economic change altered the social norms and characteristics of the area so less affluent groups of people felt segregated and ‘out of place’ whereas wealthy business people felt like insiders.

Question 9

Who may percieve places different from others? Why?

Answer 9

1. Immigrant communities - they speak a different language or may follow a different religion ( so form enclaves to protect from feelings of exclusion)
2. Gay communities - they are more anxious in a place (e.g Saudi Arabia) due to fear of lack of acceptance.

Question 10

How can experience of place affect place perception?

Answer 10

• Day/night contrast of experience - may feel safer during the day and more aware of surroundings at night.
• Different times of the day - e.g intense vehicle flow and traffic at 9am as people are travelling to work.

Question 11

Describe characteristics of insiders.

Answer 11

• sense of place is subjective
• sense of place is developed through everyday experiences in familiar settings
• have a stake in the community
• familiar with the topography and daily rhythms and events of a place.

Question 12

Describe outsiders

Answer 12

• someone who does not know a place well (e.g a homeless person)
• sense of place based on media representations or books/news reports + comparisons with other places.
• sense of place is objective (no vested interest).

Question 13

What is the place of birth of an insider?

Answer 13

Born in that country or place/ parents from that country.

Question 14

What is the citizenship of an insider?

Answer 14

Permanent resident (hold a passport for the country, work, vote, claim benefits).

Question 15

What is the language capabilities of an insider?

Answer 15

Fluent in the local language and dialect.

Question 16

What are the social interactions of an insider?

Answer 16

Understands unspoken rules of society and conforms to local norms.

Question 17

What is the state of mind of an insider?

Answer 17

Safe, secure, happy - feels at home in the country.

Question 18

What is the place of birth of an outsider?

Answer 18

Not born in that country (may be immigrant or their parents may have been immigrants to the local area).

Question 19

What is the citizenship of an outsider?

Answer 19

Temporary visitor (held a foreign passport or united visa, works, votes or claims benefits).

Question 20

What are the language capabilities of an outsider?

Answer 20

Not fluent in the language.

Question 21

What are the social interactions of an outsider?

Answer 21

May misunderstand social interactions.

Question 22

What is the state of mind of an outsider?

Answer 22

Homesick, alienated, in exile - feels out of place.

Question 23

How are investment decisions affected by insider and outsider perspectives on place?

Answer 23

The perspective of policy makers, such as politicians and councils, is influenced by whether or not they are an ‘insider’.

Question 24

How is tourism affected by insider and outsider perspectives on place?

Answer 24

Where a person decides to go on holiday is impacted by their lived experience and this affects the economy.

Question 25

How are residential choices affected by insider and outsider perspectives on place in the UK?

Answer 25

The South East of the UK is the most densely populated and this is based on a perception that the South East is more prosperous than the North.

Question 26

Give an example of investment decisions which are affected by insiders and outsider perspectives on place.

Answer 26

• “London gets triple northern England’s transport spending”
• HS2 cancelled which started in London and built up instead of starting

Question 27

What is topography?

Answer 27

The shape of the land and the features of its physical surface.

Question 28

Using the ‘California Hills’ in August poem by Dana Gioia, outline how topography can contribute to the character of a place.

Answer 28

Topography can influences a persons perception of place. Moreover, the poet, who writes the poem from an insider perspective, may feel more isolated and disconnected from other areas as the “hillside” which surrounds them can create a sense of containment. However, this isolation from other areas can also lead to a greater sense of locality and place identity.

Question 29

Give two quotations from the California Hills poem written by Dana Gioia.

Answer 29

• “I can imagine someone who found these field unbearable”
• “skyline of a hill broken by no more trees than one can count”.