Veel Vragen van Vanclay!
1. Discuss different definitions of ‘place’ and ‘sense of place’, and describe some of the features of
place.
Place is generally conceived as being space imbued with meaning, thus place is a personal experience
rather than something inherent. Therefore there is no such thing as placelessness. Place is socially
constructed and personally constructed by for example: personal experiences and memories,
knowledge, narratives, advertising, image making and personal and public imaginaries. Sense of
place refers to an individual’s connection with a place (location, building, landscape, city, etc) and to
their experiences of that place. Sense of place is an intensely personal response to the environment,
social and natural, which the individual experiences in daily life. Sense of place can also be seen at a
broader level, it can be the individual’s perception of the whole region, state or nation. An element
of a sense of place is place attachment or place dependency, this refers to in what way a person is
attached to a certain place. Such a person feels a kind of belongingness to that place. A person can
also feel a certain level of community connectedness, this means he/she has a strict bond with the
people who live at the same place. In short terms: sense of place is about the person not the setting.
Therefore sense of place is a personal experience rather than something inherent in a location.
Nevertheless significant features play an important role, whether they are natural or constructed. A
few examples: a mountain, a water tower, a church tower, a dyke or a wide open space. Sense of
place is thus personally constructed and exists out of personal experiences and memories, stories we
have been told and the stories we tell ourselves, our personal Imaginaries, belonging and rootedness.
Place is an essential part of our identity, a sense of place is necessary for our wellbeing and
confidence. To conclude: place important to understand ourselves, to understand other people,
especially when they get upset about change, to improve planning and design, and the way big
projects are carried out, to create opportunities for endogenous regional development and the
cultural economy, and above all, to celebrate and enjoy life.
1. Discuss different definitions of ‘place’ and ‘sense of place’, and describe some of the features of
place.
The most common description of place is space imbued with meaning. So place isn't really tangible,
but it's more or less a mental image or personal experience. The most important thing about place is
that it's socially constructed and/or personally constructed. It's made up from personal experiences,
memories, knowledge of events that have occured at the spot, stories people tell about that place,
narratives, advertising, image making and personal and public imaginaries.
Sense of place refers to an individual's connection with a place (location, building, landscape, city,
etc) and to their personal experiences of that place (Vanclay, 2008). This means that sense of place is
not about the space, the location or the setting but focuses on the person and his/her personal
experiences and connection with a certain space. A better name would be genius loci (or spirit of
place) instead of sense of place, this would cause less confusion.
Sense of place can also be described as an intensely personal response to the environment, social
and natural, which the individual experiences in daily life, and at a broader level it can be the
individual’s perception of the whole region, state or nation (CSIRO, 2001). This description is based
mostly of the perception people have of an area, instead of the connection, which is more important
in Vanclays description.
2. Discuss whether place is an individual construction relating to a person’s own experience, or
whether there is a cultural dimension to place.
As described by Vanclay and CSIRO, place is a phenomenon made up from memories, stories,
opinions, experiences, perceptions and images. We could say, though, that places only exist in the
human mind; when a place becomes tangible or maybe even visible, it's not a place anymore but
becomes a space instead. Regarding this, the whole idea that places are mental, it's clear that place
also has a cultural dimension. One's mind is heavily influenced by the culture he or she deals with,
every day. For example: someone from Groningen might consider the fields of wheat in the eastern
parts of the province very disgusting, because it reminds him of slavery and supression by the rich
landlords. Someone from Wyoming, United States, may encounter the same kind of fields very
beautiful though, because wheat is the most important export product in the state and most of the
people over there live from the wheat and work with it every day. Considering this, we can say that
there is not only a cultural dimension to place, but the whole description of a place can be
considered cultural.
2. Discuss whether place is an individual construction relating to a person’s own experience, or
whether there is a cultural dimension to place.
Place is a difficult concept to define. But it is for sure that place refers more to the meanings that are
invested in a certain location, than to the physical objects of the locality. So a location becomes
´place´ when the space is filled with a meaning. It does not matter if a particularly place is meaningful
for just one person or for a crowd. That is telling us already that place is an individual construction.
The meaning of a place is very diverse. Firstly it can be negative or positive meaning. It depends on
the kind of experience you have had on the location. Secondly, it does not have to be some extreme
or melancholic, nostalgic experience. For example it can be a location that is part of your daily
routine. For instance the train station where you get daily a train to work or your own home. Often
place-making explained by the slogan: ‘Space becomes place, when a house becomes home’.
There are places where the personal senses of several individual have much in common. For example
ground zero. But places where many individuals attach meaning to can be diverse. Think of a place at
the beach. For one it means a place where he keeps fit, by a daily swim. For another is it a beautiful
memory spending the holiday making sandcastles whit his siblings, another individual walks along
the coastline to think when she is in trouble and anybody can attach another meaning to the same
place.
So an individual’s own experience is important to create a place. But the own experience is not
necessary to create an individual place out of space. Think for instance of a family where the father is
from abroad. He tells his children detailed stories about his homeland, shows them pictures and tells
them how he felt when he was there. These children can at a certain time imagine the landscapes
themselves. In this case they the meaning of the place they never bin, is caused by fathers
experience. You can ask yourself if listening to fathers stories is also an experience, so the
experience is indeed your own. But at least it is clear is that it is possible that the place you are attach
to has a meaning because of the experience of someone else. Because, if it was not the homeland of
their dad, the children did never have the experience of the storytelling.
It is obvious now that place is an individual construction, but we cannot exclude the cultural
dimension of place-making. This dimension is no condition for place making, but it can be a
stimulator or an influence. Take for instance Friesland in the Netherlands, this is a province with a
strong subculture, the meaning of Friesland may for a lot of the inhabitants be the same. So maybe
the cultural dimension only influence the place making process, but ultimately it is a personal
construction.
3. Discuss why ‘place’ is so strongly represented in art (painting, poetry, film etc).
(Deze vraag kon ik niet in artikelen of powerpoints vinden, denk dat het in het 1e college aan bod is
gekomen, maar die heb ik gemist. Dus heb zelf wat zweverigs bedacht, maar is dus niet per se waar)
Every person has connection with places. Place-making is a process of transforming space into place
and it are individuals themselves who must connect with them locality. It refers more to the
meanings that are invested in a location than to the physical objects. So we can say that ‘Place’ exist
when people can tell a story about a specific location, because it indicates always the personal
meaning or understanding. With other words: we make a place, when we starting to name the place.
To tell stories you can use words, but you can also use other methods to express a feeling or opinion
about a specific subject, like painting, poetry or writing. So because place is something fundamental
in our lives, it is represented in art.
This is intensified by the diversity of the topic. Places are rarely static and frequently dynamic. If
someone who is attachment to a place, experience a change in the landscape, the consequence can
be a reduction of place attachment or a reduction of the sense of place. Because everybody has a
personal meaning, there can be a lot of different senses about a particular place. So it is possible that
these are conflicting or strengthen each other. You can think for example of wars, occupations,
events, cutting of trees or a flood. It all has to do with places. I think because place is such a sensitive
and emotional issue, there exists a lot of art that refers to it.
People that make a painting, poetry or a movie, want something to convey to the public. A good
strategy can be to make use of the concept place, because everybody knows it. Everybody knows
how it feels to be home for instance. When art is very recognizable, many people will be interested
or touched.
3. Discuss why ‘place’ is so strongly represented in art (painting, poetry, film etc).Place is generally
conceived as being space imbedded with meaning. Thus, it refers more to the meanings that are
invested in a location than to the physical space itself. Art is a way to express those meanings. Place
are often constructed by a cultural expression, films, photo’s, paintings and poetry’s are forms to
express that cultural expression. Art represents what sets that place apart from other places and
what makes individuals want to be there. These forms will tell stories about our places. The people
who have constructed these art forms can in a way create and re-create, revise and adjust a place.
Art is a way in which any place becomes our place. Also it is often said that one picture (or a painting)
says more than a thousand words. Moreover a movie consists of many pictures per second, so thanks
to movies you can say a thousand words in few seconds. For a story to be told by means of art, there
must be an audience. And an audience provides feedback, validating and affirming the experience. So
the symbolic meaning of place comes out of the discussion of the people who experience the
artwork. Even if the artwork has an individual meaning. So art is a way in which the artist can
describe a place, and pass his ideas of that place over to the audience. This means the author has a
great responsibility, he can tell a true story with his painting for example, but he also has the
possibility to re-create a place completely. If the audience looks to the form of art in a rather neutral
way, the author could influence the thoughts of the audience and thereby give a completely different
image of a place. Thus, art is a way of showing places to a big audience, but can also change the
image of a place completely. A more positive way in which place is strongly represented in art is to
retain the meaning of a place over a long period of time. So even though a place doesn’t exist
physically anymore it’s meaning can still be preserved in a form of art. Many examples of ancient
story’s that took place at places that doesn’t physically exist anymore can still be seen in forms of art
in many museums all over the world.
4. Define ‘endogenous regional development’ and describe its characteristics.
ERD is the abbreviation of endogenous regional development. ERD is a form of policy about how to
develop the region. It is the opposite of exogenous development; what means development initiated
external to a region. ERD means logically that is initiated and controlled by the local society. ERD
approach was a response to exogenous development with a modernistic and capitalistic character.
There is not inherent definition of ERD. An example of a social definition is: ERD is founded mainly on
locally available resources, such as the potentialities of the local ecology, labor force, knowledge, and
local patterns for linking production to consumption.
To explain the concept of ERD accurate, it is useful to take a look of the enumeration of the
characteristics, also because scientists agree more about the features then the definition.
•
ERD stimulate or retain the regional products, it takes ‘place’ very serious.
•
The ERD approach is bottom up, post-modernism & post-Fordism, in that it accommodates
niche-marketing of value added product and flexible specialisation, while at the same time valorising
local culture, tradition, artisanal production and regional typical food.
•
ERD refers to utilization and celebration of the local and the place of a region. This is also the
basic of its economic activity and livelihood.
•
The goal is to create diverse, resilient and sustainable local economies, local decisions about
development options, and also local control over the process. To keep the benefits locally and make
use of local available resources. Development op ‘the local’ or ‘the place’ is important, especially if
something is unique. Respect of local values and appreciation of the multi-functionality of the
concept.
•
What is not belonging to the values of ERD is economic growth as traditionally measured.
•
It is a policy with sustainability as a key value, further it believes it is important to protect
resources and take the principle of subsidiarity serious.
•
ERD is meant to stimulate local business to supply local markets, and also to create external
interest in local places and stimulate place-based consumption. External interest is thus vital to an
ERD approach.
ERD fits into the post-modernistic and post-Fordistic period of the society nowadays.
4. Define ‘endogenous regional development’ and describe its characteristics.
Endogenous regional development is development that is initiated and controlled by the local
society. One can describe ERB as a goal to create diversified, resilient and sustainable local
economies. The idea is that the local authorities determinate the development options, and keep
control over the development process. The influence of external authorities is tried to be kept at a
minimum. The benefits of the development remain in the region. ERD is based on locally available
resources. Examples of local resources are the potentialities of local ecology, but also more human
factors, like labour force, knowledge and the local patterns for linking production to consumption.
Because the development is started and continued by locals, the local norms and values will be
respected. This is one of the most important differences when ERD is compared to exogenous
development, the capitalist counterpart of endogenous regional development. Opposite to
exogenous development, the cultural destruction is reduced to a minimum. ERD attempts to make a
region self-sufficient, by focusing on both production and consumption. Multifunctionality is very
important, because multifunctionality will contribute to the self-sufficiency of the region. ERD is the
opposite of exogenous development, which is initiated external to a region.
Exogenous development can be considered modernist and capitalist, and endogenous regional
development is a reaction to that, so it can be considered postmodern. ERD is part of postfordism
too; the region in case doesn't attempt to create mass production, but specializes in small-scale
production. In this way there's enough space and resources for any production, causing the amount
of imported product to reduce to a minimum.
ERD isn't just about economic growth, but tends to self-determination and sustainability instead.
Important factors to achieve this are equity, community development and both human and social
capital. All this is used to protect and enhance the resource base. ERD also contains social researsch,
promoting local particularities, cultural capital and pluriactivity.
5. Discuss the EU LEADER program and its significance to cultural geography.
LEADER is an acronym of Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Economie Rurale, french for
'links between actions for the development of the rural economy'. The LEADER program consists
several main points which should be followed to achieve endogenous regional development. One
should see the area as development unit at first. Then, involve the people in the area in the process
and make supportive expertise available on demond. Afther that, develop an interactive policy
process in the area; make sure that anyone can bring in ideas or start a discussion. The most
important part of the program: focus on innovation, and accept to take risks sometimes. When
problems occur, attempt to solve them by working in an integrated and multisectorl manner.
Support collaboration between region, but also inside regions, and at last, make funds available
directly in the area and make sure management is under control of local representatives.
The big problem about the EU LEADER program is the fact that it focuses mainly, or even only, on
rural areas. This sounds logic, since most of the rural areas around the world are having a hard time,
suffering from population decline and a growing movement of urbanisation. In this way, it would be
good to develop and promote rural areas, but this causes a lot of small urban areas (like Groningen,
an urban area in a rural zone) to stagnate in their growth. Thinking of culture, the EU LEADER
program works pretty good, since a lot of traditions and specialities are long gone in urban areas, but
still practised/maintained in rural areas. Considering this, EU LEADER works better as cultural
protection system than an economic boost for the whole region.
5. Discuss the EU LEADER program and its significance to cultural geography.
LEADER is the abbreviation of: ‘Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Économie Rurale', or
‘links between actions for the development of the rural economy” & “integrated and endogenous
approach to rural development’.
This LEADER program is created at the time ERD had much policy significance in the European Union.
It had so much significance because of the realization that conventional subsidies to agriculture were
not effective in promoting growth in rural areas, so a new approach that was focusing on local
potentialities was needed. This led the LEADER program. In 1991 started the first phase of the
program, after the end of the third and last phase in 2006, the program continued. The program is
now seen as it have reached a level of maturity, enabling rural areas to implement the LEADER
approach more widely in mainstream rural development program.
This program is conceived, within the EU, as an integrated an endogenous approach to rural
development. The target locations where small, with a maximum of 100.000 inhabitants.
Thus entering the LEADER program there is changed a lot. More attention to the local and place
itself. This becomes clarifies when you read the seven components of the approach. In all this
components there is a strong presence of place. But in the first one, it is the most clear.
‘Area based approach: this entails defining a local development policy on the basis of an area's
particular situation, strengths and weaknesses. Areas should be fairly homogeneous and characterize
by internal social cohesion, shared history and traditions, a sense of common identity’
So if you think of a cultural geography, a discipline about people and place and the relation between
them, it is obvious there is a significance of the EU LEADER program to culture geography.
6. What are some of the cultural geography critiques of ‘exogenous development’?
Exogenous development is the opposite of endogenous rural development. This way of development
is characterised as capitalistic an modern. This development policy focused on economies of scale
and concentration of activity. The consequences where industrialisation of urban growth poles. Thus
all of the intention and money to develop the economy was going to the urbanized areas, so noting
was left for the rural regions. The role of rural areas was to provide cheap food for the rest of the
population. The result was that they became extremely marginalized. So not unexpected there arose
a lot of critic about this kind of development. The criticism can be summarized in 4 parts
Exogenous development is criticised as
•
Dependent development
Depending on continued subsidies and the policy decisions of distant agencies and boardrooms.
•
Distorted development
With boosted single sectors, selected settlements and certain types of business, but let others
behind and neglected non-economic aspects of rural life.
•
Destructive development
It erased the cultural and environmental differences between rural and urban areas. This is also
caused by the subsidies and the focus on just one sector or region.
•
Dictated development
It is devised by external experts and planners from outside local rural areas. While it is important to
involve the inhabitants of the region, because they are attach to the place. If they are become part of
the process and decisions are taking that they influenced, you can imagine the region get better care
and the social cohesion grows.
As a reaction of the exogenous development, the endogenous rural development arose.
6. What are some of the cultural geography critiques of ‘exogenous development’?
The critiques on exogenous development can be divided into four groups. The first problem is that
exogenous development continues to create dependent regions. The periphery, which is developed,
will remain depending on subsidies and policy decisions from the core. The region in development
will never be able make decisions without influence from foreign agencies, boards or even
governments. This causes the region to remain dependent, and never be able to become a booming,
selfsufficient area, which is in fact realized bij endogenous regional development.
The second point of criticism is the distortion of development. When an external developer is
investing in a region, it's impossible that all the investments are divided equally across the region.
There will always be specific sectors, settlements and types of business that receive more funds and
assistance from the external developer. This way, there are winners and losers, and the created
polarization will only become bigger when the external influences continue.
Then, there is a phenomenon described as 'destructive development'. The external developer, how
good his intensions may be, will always bring a part of his own culture, his own norms and values and
his own traditions with him. Because this is inevitable, the current culture of the region in
development will suffer badly from this, losing its authenticity and changing forever. Though there
are global movements against this trend, there isn't yet a good way to prevent this.
The fourth and last point of criticism is a more ethic argument. The idea of experts and planners who
design the future for a region, determinate which companies, sectors and settlements can grow and
control every important decision in the region strikes as a little authoritative, maybe even a bit
dictatorial.
7. Why is multifunctionality an important concept?
Multifunctionality refers to the benefits that agricultural policies provide for a country or region.
Generally speaking, multifunctionality refers to the non-trade benefits, that is, benefits other than
commerce and food production. These include environmental protection, landscape preservation,
rural employment and food security.
Multifunctionality is an important concept, because it deals with culture, preservation of that culture
and sense of place. When people get attached to a place, and give meaning to it, they want the
government to take care of this place in a way that preserves the current value of the site. There will
be an agricultural policy which controls the value in a way that the current meanings can be
provided.
If multifunctionality wouldn’t exist in the way that it does today, policies wouldn’t consider the
meaning of places what so ever. This can result in actions which will diminish the meanings of places,
because for example there can be an agricultural site being built in an area which is valued for its
quietness. Multifunctionality thus preserves places with meaning through agricultural policies which
take care of these special sites.
Aanvulling op 7
Dit was een beetje een vage vraag. Ecosysteemdiensten kon ik ook niet vinden in de colleges, maar
heb geprobeerd met wikipedia er iets van te maken. Als je denkt dat de beredenering niet klopt oid.
laat maar weten.
Multifunctionality refers to the benefits that agricultural policies provide for a country or region.
Generally speaking, multifunctionality refers to the non-trade benefits, that is, benefits other than
commerce and food production. These include environmental protection, landscape preservation,
rural employment and food security.
Multifunctionality is an important concept, because it deals with culture, preservation of that culture
and sense of place. When people get attached to a place, and give meaning to it, they want the
government to take care of this place in a way that preserves the current value of the site. There will
be an agricultural policy which controls the value in a way that the current meanings can be
provided.
If multifunctionality wouldn’t exist in the way that it does today, policies wouldn’t consider the
meaning of places what so ever. This can result in actions which will diminish the meanings of places,
because for example there can be an agricultural site being built in an area which is valued for its
quietness. Multifunctionality thus preserves places with meaning through agricultural policies which
take care of these special sites.
Ecosysteemdiensten zijn diensten die het ecosysteem aan mensen levert. Hierbij is een onderscheid
te maken in product verstrekkende diensten, regulerende diensten, ondersteunende diensten en
culturele diensten. Voor de landbouw zijn vooral productverstrekkende diensten (graan, groente),
regulerende diensten (regulering van klimaat, lucht, bodem, water, ziekten, voortplanting) en
ondersteunende diensten (stoffenkringloop, bijv. voor vruchtbare grond) van belang. Hoe meer
biodiversiteit er aanwezig is, hoe gezonder het ecosysteem is en hoe meer ecosysteemdiensten er
verstrekt worden.
Ecosysteemdiensten en multifunctionality houden verband met elkaar doordat men bij
multifunctionality uitgaat van het behouden van de waarde van de plek en daar horen ook de
ecosysteemdiensten van die plek bij. Bijvoorbeeld, wanneer er te intensieve landbouw op een plek
wordt uitgevoerd, kan de grond minder vruchtbaar worden en zullen op die plek minder
ecosysteemdiensten plaatsvinden. Het landbouwbeleid moet dus rekening houden met de
bestaande ecosysteemdiensten van een plek, die onderdeel uitmaken van de plek en mede de plek
maken tot wat hij is.
Dit is relevant voor het concept ‘place’, omdat ecosysteemdiensten onderdeel uitmaken van een plek
en dus ook bijdragen aan de waarde die individuen aan een plek geven. Multifunctionality gaat
vervolgens uit van het behoud van de waarde van een plek, de ‘sense of place’, bij het maken van
landbouwbeleid. Hier horen dus de ecosysteemdiensten bij die de plek mede maken tot wat hij
is.‘Place is a personal experience, a social construction’.
8. Discuss the concept of a ‘cultural economy’ and describe a number of ways in which regions
might identify their cultural assets.
Uit ERD form a sociological perspective:
Ray introduced the cultural economy approach to regional development. With the valorization of
local culture, many things potentially become of interest to people with spare time and/or disposable
income in an informant-rich, post-Fordist, post-modern society. The intention with the cultural
economy approach is for all regions to identify the particular strengths they each have that be
capitalized on, even though they may not be globally significant.
(Uit het tentamen van vorig jaar, goed antwoord)
The concept of a cultural economy entails a way that places/regions can promote themselves and
stimulate their economy by exploiting their cultural assets. It’s strongly linked to ERD. Ray introduced
the term ‘neo-endogenous regional development’ as ERD with extra¬¬-local factors. These extralocal factors were the attraction of outsiders to their region through the exploitations of region’s
cultural assets cultural economy.
These cultural assets do not necessarily already exist. They can be developed or made up through
e.g. stories or myths. Potential cultural assets that regions/places could promote and identify
themselves with are numerous. Some examples:
•
Regional food, traditional food (biological) Food that is developed in the place itself and is
identifiable with the region. (e.g. French wine)
•
Winery trails, whiskey trails
•
Architectural heritage (Sagrada Familia, Barcelona)
•
Exploiting the fact that a movie was shoot in the region (LOTR, New Zealand)
•
Literary places (Jane Austen’s Pemberly in England)
•
Historical heritage (Batavia)
•
Music places (Abbey Road)
There are many ways that a region can promote itself as cultural and exploit that fact by attracting
outsiders to the region. Also local festivals and events are a great way of promoting a place’s identity.
Perhaps it should be noted that there has been some critique of this approach. Day, for example,
argues that it shows a misunderstanding of the concept of culture in that it focuses on the material
artefact rather than on social relationships and shared understandings, meanings and values.
9. Discuss the concept of ‘terroir’ from a cultural geographical perspective.
Uit het college: Terroir can be described as the special characteristic of a place (especially soil and
terrain) that when managed effectively produce desirable characteristics in wine, tea, coffee and
other products.
Van Wikipedia: Terroir comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine,
coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of
a certain place bestowed upon particular produce. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar
soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique qualities of the
crop. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place," which is embodied in certain
characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production
of the product. Terroir is often italicized in English writing to show that it is a French loanword. The
concept of terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system that
has been the model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. (Is behandeld in het college over
artisanality) At its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a
unique quality that is specific to that region. The amount of influence and the scope that falls under
the description of terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry.
Over the centuries, French winemakers developed the concept of terroir by observing the differences
in wines from different regions, vineyards, or even different sections of the same vineyard. The
French began to crystallize the concept of terroir as a way of describing the unique aspects of a place
that influence and shape the wine made from it. Long before the French, the winemaking regions of
the ancient world already developed a concept of different regions having the potential to create
very different and distinct wines, even from the same grapes.
While wine experts disagree as to the exact definition, particular consideration is given to the natural
elements that are generally considered beyond the control of humans. Some of the components
often described as aspects of terroir include:
•
Climate
•
Soil type
•
Topography
•
Other plants growing in and around the vine plots
9. Discuss the concept of ‘terroir’ from a cultural geographical perspective.
The concept of terroir is defined as the special characteristics of a place that when managed
effectively produce desirable characteristics in wine, tea, coffee etc.
The concept of terroir is very important from a cultural geographical perspective, because it’s about
the culture of a certain place or space. The products which are produced here originate from this
area and because of that, these products are important in shaping the cultural awareness of the
inhabitants. By producing these, they will feel attached to the place, it’s a part of the culture and a
way of keeping the traditions alive. The sense of place is thus very important too, because the terroir
provides the connection with the place or space and gives meaning to it.
10. Describe the characteristics of artisanality.
The characteristics of artisanality are: transformation of agriculture, socio-cultural practice,
manifestation of processors ‘ values and beliefs and place-based product.
Artisanal products are an example of the transformation of agriculture. Also they are products of
social-cultural practice, because they are handmade with certain techniques which, most of the time,
are being used in the same way for centuries. It’s a piece of culture of that place, and it brings social
cohesion, considering people make the products together.
Because artisanal products are handmade from beginning to end, they can serve as an expression of
the values and beliefs of the processor.
The last characteristic of artisanality is the fact that artisanal products are place-based. Artisanal
products are of course the best example of place-based products, because the techniques people use
to make them, are being transferred generation after generation, which ensures that the techniques
stay in that place. Every region has its own traditions and techniques in terms of artisanal products.
10. Describe the characteristics of artisanality.
Artisanal products are defined as being products that are produced by artisans, either completely by
hand or with the help of hand-tools and even mechanical means, as long as the direct manual
contribution of the artisan remains the most substantial component of the finished product. A
second characteristic of artisanality is the idea that owner-operators are responsible for many of the
business activities themselves, such as the distribution of product, account keeping, production etc.
A Third characteristic is the fact that product involvement refers to having contact with the product
from start to finish.
Artisanal food manufacture involves more than the physical transformation of raw agricultural
produce into food. The processes involved in creating artisanal food products embody socio-cultural
practices and, ideally, the manifestations of the processor’s values and beliefs. An artisanal food item
can also be conceived as being a cultural product, especially in the case of regional typical food and
place-of-origin food. (place-based products)
Artisanal food is a combination of human input with the qualities the local environment imparts on
the raw produce that creates the uniqueness and inimitability of artisanal food. Artisanality in
relation to food processing refers to a high labour-to-capital ratio in the transformation of raw
agricultural products into a final food item.
With increasing demand for artisanal products worldwide, artisanality can be used to develop
sustainable industries that bring benefits to local communities.
The main components of artisanality are:
i.
Hand processing
ii.
iii.
Artisanal business unit (SME)
Product involvement
11. Consider the concept of ‘quality’ as it pertains to food from a cultural geography perspective.
What are some of the non-tangibles (niet-tastbaar) aspects to quality that could be considered?
Quality in relation to artisanal products can be ‘any attribute that value-adds to raw agricultural
produce’. There are five tangible characteristics of quality: technical, environmental, socio-cultural,
production-related and place-based.
There are also characteristics of quality which are intangible, especially in terms of the final product.
These intangibles are very important and perhaps the defining basis of the artisanal nature of the
product. They are what makes the story around the product and create the price premium. They
include:
•
Care and time taken: way of production
•
Social interaction with customer: face-to-face relationships
•
Passion: for producing the best product they can
•
Knowledge: of the raw produce, the land, products
•
Trust: consumers trust how it was produced and who produced it
•
Respect: for the land and consumers
•
Creativity: achieving difference, uniqueness, taking the time to word with different climates
and landscapes.
•
Sense of place: the extent to which the product is an expression of place en terroir
The intangibles are simultaneously an expression of the processor’s values and beliefs and an end
result (the product) that can be economically valued. For the most part, the intangibles are unable to
be measured, however, they are nonetheless important for the pride and identity that such
characteristics evoke.
11. Consider the concept of ‘quality’ as it pertains to food from a cultural geography perspective.
What are some of the non-tangible aspects to quality that could be considered?
The quality of food is very important. From a cultural geographical perspective you can place quality
in a framework, because good quality is based on good preparation of the product. When a recipe is
being prepared in a certain way for hundreds of years, it gains a certain cultural value, which makes
people to take their time for it and prepare it with care. This will provide even more quality.
Some non-tangible aspects can be considered, like the care and time that are taken to prepare the
product, the social interaction between the producer and consumer, the passion for the product, the
knowledge about the product and the respect for the country, the traditions and the consumers. Of
course the sense of place is also a non-tangible aspect, because there is no hard evidence to what
sense of place is. All of these aspects can’t be touched, of defined in an exact way.
12. Describe the concept of ‘slow food’.
Slow food: opposite of fast food/traditional/good food etc. Reactie op fastfood.
Three principles: good, clean and fair!
Definitie uit college:
Slow Food stands at the crossroads of ecology and gastronomy, ethics and pleasure. It opposes the
standardization of taste and culture, and the unrestrained power of the food industry multinationals
and industrial agriculture. We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to the pleasure of good
food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that
make this pleasure possible. Our association believes in the concept of neo-gastronomy - recognition
of the strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture.
Good, Clean and Fair
• Slow Food's approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept
of food quality defined by three interconnected principles:
• GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local
culture;
• CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal
welfare or our health;
• FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.
Slow Food
Slow Food IT; internationale organisatie met een heerlijk ideaal: onthaast en bescherm al het goede
dat we hebben, als het maar te eten en te drinken is. Zo beschermen zij oude productiewijzen en
oude, `vergeten`, groenten. Zie web. Web in NL Jaarlijks worden de Bicchieri (glaasjes) uitgereikt. De
beste wijnen krijgen er drie. Dit wordt weergegeven in de Gam Gevonden op
http://www.encyclo.nl/lokaal/10519
Slow Food De Slow Food (langzaam voedsel) beweging zet zich af tegen de zogenaamde fastfood en
beoogt de culturele of traditionele keuken te behouden en daarmee ook het oorspronkelijk gebruik
van gewassen, zaden, dieren en landbouwgebruiken van een regio. De beweging is opgezet door
Carlo Petrini in Italië, maar heeft ondertussen meer dan 100.000 leden in Gevonden op
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food
slowfood voedsel dat op ambachtelijke wijze en met veel zorg bereid is, uit kwalitatief hoogstaande
ingrediënten, en dat mensen op hun gemak aan tafel opeten Gevonden op
http://anw.inl.nl/article/slowfood
Definities van internet die een goed beeld zouden moeten geven, veel meer valt er niet van te maken.
13.
The word ‘authenticity’ comes up in many of the topics discussed in this course. Critically
discuss this concept and consider its relevance or otherwise to cultural geography and the topic of
people and place.
When looking up the word authentic, you’ll find many different definitions. Words as real,
unquestionable, worthy of trust, not copied, true, unique will pass by. But what is it exactly? What is
authentic? When is something authentic? It is a concept we can’t really define by one word or
sentence. Authenticity, very simply defined, seems to mean something as ‘the way it was’. But
everyone has a different interpretation of the way it was. For example: if we have a building en we
think it should be authentic. Should it be just left the way it is? So we can see the authentic stones
that were used to build it. Or should it be restored the way it once was? So we can see the authentic
form and purpose of the building?
Authentic
or
authentic?
And if we have something we think is authentic. There will still be the question what to do with it.
Authenticity is as you can see a concept with many questions. But it can be relevant to cultural
geography. Thinking about authenticity, makes you think of a place. Is something authentic in
relation to its place, does it tell something about the place, changes the place if the authenticity isn’t
there? Seeing something as authentic can give a place more identity. Whether it’s the Acropolis or
just an authentic book on your bookshelves, it can make a place more meaningful. And this works not
only with things. It’s also with food, people will pay a lot more if it says it’s made in an authentic way
or with authentic ingredients. But most people wouldn’t even think about what is really authentic
about their product, it just sounds good.
Authentic, it can be good and meaningful. But think about the real meaning, and what is meant by
these people before you just assume it is.
13. The word ‘authenticity’ comes up in many of the topics discussed in this course. Critically
discuss this concept and consider its relevance or otherwise to cultural geography and the topic of
people and place.
Authenticiteit kun je definiëren als “echtheid”. Authenticiteit bestaat in het oog van de aanschouwer.
Echter, doordat elke aanschouwer anders is en anders naar het object/de situatie kijkt, zal iedereen
een ander beeld van het object/situatie en authenticiteit hebben.
Volgens sommigen is een product authentiek wanneer deze correspondeert met ons zelfbeeld; hoe
wij datgene zelf zien.
Verschillende filosofen hebben over het begrip authentiek nagedacht, en vanuit verschillende
invalshoeken verschillende definities gegeven. Hieronder een korte opsomming, puur om de
verschillende kanten van authentiek te belichten;
Jean Jacques Rousseau;
Authenticiteit is een kwestie van gevoel. “Ik voel en daarom ben ik.” Ik ben authentiek wanneer ik
leef en handel in overeenstemming met mijn oorspronkelijke zelf. Dus als ik me niet laat afleiden
door welke externe druk en verleiding ook.
Descartes;
“Corgito ergo sum.” Authenticiteit bestaat door het durven bevragen (betwijfelen) van alles wat je
zeker denkt te weten.
Kant;
Mensen zijn authentiek in hun rede.
Hume en Smith;
Authenticiteit ontstaat in de balans tussen gevoel en rede.
Sartre;
De authentieke mens is de vrije mens die ware keuzes kan maken. Hij laat ook zien hoe onmogelijk
die echtheid is. Volgens zijn standaard laten wij ons leiden door welke externe druk of verleiding dan
ook.
Pirandello;
In het diepst van ons wezen zijn wij allen acteurs. Wij spelen een rol. We kunnen zelfs niet anders.
Taylor;
Authenticiteit is een norm die mensen zichzelf opleggen tegen onechtheid en het verlies aan
betekenis en zingeving. Voor Taylor is authenticiteit een leven waarbij we trouw zijn aan onszelf met
maatschappelijke waarden die ons eigen IK overstijgen en die ons tot unieke mensen zullen maken.
Volgens hem is de ethiek van authenticiteit een reactie op drie ziektes die de moderne (westerse)
samenleving kenmerken, namelijk; een vergaande individualisering met een verlies van gedeelte
betekenis als gevolg. Daarnaast een dominant instrumenteel denken dat heeft geleid tot een
vervlakking van het dagelijks leven. Als laatst een verlies aan burgerschap en daarmee het
verdwijnen van het gevoel dat de samenleving een doel heeft.
Socrates, Aristoteles en Seneca;
“Een niet onderzocht leven is het niet waard om te leven” (Socrates). Een authentiek mens is een
bewust levend mens die het leven voortdurend onderzoekend beleefd en ten volle leeft naar de rol
waarmee hij/zij zich verbindt.
Met de nadruk op het innerlijke en oorspronkelijke van de mens is authenticiteit een romantisch
begrip. Dat was, en is nog steeds, belangrijk als tegenwicht tegen een rationele en instrumentele
manier van denken en leven
Wanneer zijn mensen authentiek? Kortweg als zij hun rol erkennen en accepteren en ernaar streven
die rol zo goed als mogelijk in te vullen.
M.a.w.; authentiek/authenticiteit is voor elk individu anders, en wordt door elk individu anders
ingevuld. Wel is het een positief beladen begrip, in bijvoorbeeld ‘authentieke’ producten geeft het
een positieve lading aan het product. Of het begrip relevant is, is ook per individu verschillend; de
een zal er meer waarde aan hechten dan de ander.
Qua verschillende plaatsen speelt het begrip authentiek een rol van betekenis in het toerisme. Er
wordt gepromoot met ‘authentieke plaatsen’, dus plaatsen waar de ‘echte’ identiteit van een plaats
nog goed zichtbaar/voelbaar is. Het is een begrip dat verkoopt.
14.
Discuss the concept of ecomuseums. Why is this related to place?
An ecomuseum is a museum different from the traditional museums. Ecomuseum is short for
ecologic museum, but it is mainly about the identity of a place. The museum doesn’t simply show
some nice paintings, pottery or other artwork. It is a place that tells you something about where you
are.
In an ecomuseum people want to show you what kind of place you are. How the town, city or region
is, what is was en how it will be. Mostly the museum is about the heritage a place has and is proud
of. It’s a place where a lot of regional people work together to show you their neighbourhood.
An ecomuseum exists with the intention to bring welfare and social and/or economic development
to the place. To raise some money to preserve or conserve the heritage there is.
There are about 300 ecomuseums all over the world, 200 of them located in Europe.
So for example if you have the Groninger Museum, it will not be like it is now, with these Chinese
collections and paintings from all over the world. It would be a museum with information and special
things about Groningen. With a lot of citizens working there, trying to tell you something about
Groningen and trying to increase the welfare and development in Groningen.
Why the concept of ecomuseums is related to place is very clear. The ecomuseums actually exist
because of place. Because of a town or region that people are proud of. There is place that deserves
attention, explanation and to be taken care of.
Place also has a lot to do with identity. People are who they are because of this place and with the
ecomuseums they can show others how their interpretation of that place is. In short, an ecomuseum
is a museum about place.
14. Discuss the concept of ecomuseums. Why is this related to place?
De term ecomuseum is in 1971 bedacht door George Henri Riviere en Hugues de Varine.
Een ecomuseum focust zich op de identiteit van een plaats, grotendeels gericht op de locale
participatie en probeert de ontwikkeling en het welzijn van de lokale gemeenschap te verbeteren.
Oftwel Sustainable development is erg belangrijk voor ecomuseums.
De term "eco" is een verkorte vorm voor “ecologie” en verwijst naar een nieuw idee van holistische
interpretatie van cultureel erfgoed, in tegenstelling tot de focus op specifieke items en objecten,
uitgevoerd door traditionele musea. Een ecomuseum laat zien hoe gemeenschappen hun cultureel
erfgoed behouden, interpreteren en beheren voor duurzame ontwikkeling. Met ecomuseums zijn we
in staat om onze omgeving te veranderen. Er moet dan wel door veel verschillende groepen worden
samengewerkt, onder andere de overheid, vrijwilligers en lokale bewoners. Het Zuiderzee museum is
een voorbeeld hiervan. In dit museum wordt er door iedereen stil gestaan bij het water van het
IJsselmeer in de huidige situatie, in de toekomst en in het verleden (de Zuiderzee).
“Place” is een ruimte die voor iemand speciaal is. Hoe je over een plek denkt, komt onder andere
door de mate van verbintenis die je met de plek en de mensen die op die plek wonen of daar ook
komen hebt. Hoe meer je je daar thuis voelt, hoe meer je over hebt voor die plek, hoe meer je zal
vechten om die plek hetzelfde te laten.
Bij ecomuseums is de participatie van de lokale bevolking belangrijk. Dus ecomuseums zijn
gerelateerd aan de plaats waar ze zitten. Maar je kan het ook omkeren. Door het onstaan van
ecomuseums worden er hopelijk meer mensen bewust van hun omgeving, waardoor de mensen ook
meer voor die plek gaan voelen. En zo is de cirkel dan rond; ze hebben meer verbintenis met de
plaats en willen ook degelijk iets doen/beteken voor die plaats.
Naast participatie van de lokale bevolking is cultureel erfgoed erg belangrijk voor ecomuseums. En op
elke plaats heerst er weer een andere cultuur, dus zijn ecomuseums gerelateerd aan een bepaalde
plaats. Dus ecomuseums zijn op meerdere manieren gerelateerd aan een plaats.
15. Discuss the philosophy behind the new museology.
To discuss the concept of new museology we must first talk about the ‘old’ museology. Museums
used to be educational institutions that try to contribute to societal development but were also just a
place to open a private collection to the public. The idea of the new museums is to show not only the
object but also the stories behind these objects. And with these stories we want to make a
population aware of its identity. So the museum will be a place of the identity of the population,
make them aware of who they are, who they used to be and who they can be.
A museum in this case isn’t solely about the past, but has also a great contribution to where visitors
see themselves in the future. They can think about their heritage, but the museum also shows what
what to do with that in the future.
To really form the identity of a given population in a museum there must be a lot of awareness of the
place. It must open itself to a society. To achieve this, the goal is to have as many local people in the
board as possible. And these people work together with other local people.
A ‘new’ museum is linked to society and a society is always changing. Therefore a ‘new’ museum has
to be this flexible too. That’s why in most of these museums employees only get temporary contracts
so the staff will be continually renewed.
Ecomuseums (you can read about those in question 15) are an extreme outcome of the philosophy of
the new museology. These museums are all about the place and identity of a specific population.
But I think that with the idea of new museology, the museum doesn’t have to be only about that
place. It is more about that society. So if a society closely works together with another society with
another identity, the museum can also show parts of that other identity.
15. Discuss the philosophy behind the new museology.
A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its
development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and
exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their
environment. The museum world has undergone radical change since the 1970s. Political and
economic pressures have forced its professionals to shift their attention from their collections
towards visitors. This shift can be defined as ‘the new museology’. In the past the museums tended
to be exclusive and only accessible to the elite class. The new museology gives signs of a progressive
opening-up and greater accessibility for everyone. Key sentences of the new museology are:
Interpretation not just collection, beyond the object, not singular interpretation but multiple
narratives, expanding what is collected from the spectacular to the vernacular and contemporary
history. These movements tend to open museums to a bigger audience, therefore lower the
threshold to enter a museum. This should give museums more democratic climate.
A Local Authority or National museum is not dependent on income from visitors. They have more
freedom to do the kinds of things which may only appeal to a minority. For an independent museum
it is necessarily to be much more alert of public coming through the door, because income stays very
important. The reality of the new museology is an increasingly hostile environment for museums
and they have to survive with limited funding. More accessible exhibitions can raise visitor numbers
but museums don’t want to become populists whose only aim is to get as high possible numbers of
visitors.
In combination with different agencies the museum construed its users more and more as
customers, or consumers. Together with banks, building societies, schools, universities, hospitals and
railways, the museum has increasingly construed its users, not as citizens so much as customers, or
consumers. Therefore museums have to focus more on income than on the quality and diversity of
their exhibitions.
16. Draw and describe Gustafson’s model of place attachment.
Dit is het model van Gustafson over place attachment (of sense of belonging). Je kan dit terugvinden
in college 8. Place attachment is een onderdeel van Sense of Place (deze bestaat volgens Strijker uit
place attachment, place identity en place dependency). Strijker geeft aan dat place attachment
ingaat op de emotionele relatie die je met een plaats hebt, de plaats wordt daardoor een onderdeel
van jou. Gustafson laat in zijn model zien dat deze relatie met een plaats uit verschillende
onderdelen en relaties is ontstaan. Zo ontstaat place attachment uit jouw eigen ervaringen,
herinneringen, maar ook zaken als zelfexpressie (Self). Daarnaast speelt ook de omgeving van de
plaats een rol, met daarin de gecreeerde en natuurlijke fysieke kenmerkne en de (soms onbrekende)
kansen die deze met zich meebrengt (Environment). Tot slot hebben ook andere invloed op jou
relatie met een plaats door de relaties en kennis die je met hen deelt en de mate waarin je door
anderen wordt opgenomen in bijv. een gemeenschap op die plaats (Others). Onderling hebben deze
zaken ook allemaal invloed op elkaar, wat weergeven wordt door de driehoek. Al met al bepalen
deze zaken hoe jij een relatie vormt en onderhoud met een bepaalde plek.
17. What would a phenomenological approach to place entail?
Phenomenology is discussed during the lecture of Bettina van Hoven and Lousie Meijering about
‘Geographies of Age’ and was said to consist of 2 concepts. The first is phenomenology as a way of
studying and focuses on the methodology part of research. The second is phenomenology as a way
of knowing and is about an interpretative framework designed.
It involves human sensory relations with the world, the way in which we experience our environment
by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching it. (PARAGRAAF 3.2) It is also about the mental
relations one has about places, including remembering, imagining and having certain emotions.
A phenomenological approach to place thus investigates what relations one has with a place and
how one perceives that place. This type of research is used by Bettina van Hoven and others in
Canada who wanted to know what emotional relations exists between teenagers and their
environment. They made the teenagers for example draw a mental map of their environment, in
which they should draw all the places that are meaningful to them.
This gives an idea of the mental relations one has with places, while some places are included and
others excluded from the map. It gives insight in the places that have special meaning to the
teenagers as they draw the map from memory and the places with emotional value are represented.
This way of information gathering has its limitations though. Because the respondents are not ‘on
site’, details about the places that do matter a great deal but are seen as obvious may be lost. This
problem could be solved by introducing other means of research methods as done in the research
mentioned above. In this case, the researchers took the teenagers on a walk and gave them the
opportunity to show on site what places were so imported to them. This made interaction with the
places possible and stimulated the respondents to give additional information about the places and
their relations to them as they ‘re-experienced' them.
17. What would a phenomenological approach to place entail (met zich meebrengen)?
Phenomenology can be seen as a methodology (a way of studying) as well as an interpretative
framework (a way of knowing). It suggests the best way to find out about human relations with the
world is to use intensive forms of description. Individual human experience is central to this
description. Phenomenologists reject the existence of an underlying reality which can be described
independently of human experience. They suggest that experience itself is an essential part of reality,
and by doing this, have overcome the often assumed dualism between mind and matter. Hence,
reality is constantly changing because of changing experiences as we do an live in the world. Our
changing experience of our lifeworld (our moving historical field of lived experience) is influenced by
mental as well as sensory relations. [Phenomenology of landscape according to Relph: visual
encounter, thinking about encounter, describing.]
18. What does ‘dasein’ mean? Why is it relevant to place and who are the scholars who use the
concept?
Dasein is een door Martin Heidegger geïntroduceerde term die onderscheid maakt tussen
verschillende vormen van ‘zijn’. Erg filosofisch en ingewikkeld verhaal (vergelijk met Descartes en zijn
‘Cogito ergo sum’ = ‘ik denk, dus ik besta’). Heidegger maakt onderscheid tussen Dasein (in het
Nederlands: er-zijn) dat simpelweg ‘mens’ betekent en Sein in het algemeen. Hij ziet dus verschil in
het menselijke zijn en het algemene zijn. Dasein is een bepaalde, afgezonderde manier van ‘Zijn’. Via
een analyse van het er-zijn denkt Heidegger toegang te kunnen vinden tot kennis van het Zijn in het
algemeen.
Erg vaag verhaal, maar duidelijker kan ik het niet maken. Wat hier de betekenis voor place van is? Ik
zou zeggen dat het te maken heeft met het feit dat iedereen op zijn eigen manier naar place kijkt, dat
place voor elk mens een andere betekenis heeft. Deze verschillende ‘menselijke’ betekenissen zullen
tot een ‘algemene’ betekenis gevormd moeten worden. Met zo’n ‘algemene’ betekenis van place kan
het belang ervan duidelijk worden. (?)
De term Dasein wordt gebruikt door existentialisten. Het existentialisme is een filosofische stroming
die individuele vrijheid, verantwoordelijkheid en subjectiviteit vooropstelt. Het existentialisme
beschouwt iedere persoon als een uniek wezen, verantwoordelijk voor eigen daden en eigen lot.
Ieder moet zelf zijn bestaan voldoende zin geven.
19. How are issues of place relevant to understanding the social context of the elderly?
The lecture of Bettina van Hoven and Louise Meijering dealt with the concept 'Geographies of Age',
in which part of the lecture was about older people and their relation to place.
First of all was mentioned that place attachment develops over time and that the place attachment
of someone can change by the years. Gustafson provided a model for place attachment that consists
of the 'self' (for example memories), 'others' (the relations one has with others) and the physical
environment. All these concepts can be found in the place attachment of the elderly. Memories for
example, are very important for older people because they help them keeping the past alive. Besides
that, it can give them the feeling of security and can provide stability in times of change. Others are
also a very important dimension in the place attachment of the elderly. Especially the people most
close to one can have a great influence as for example ones children, other relatives, friends or
neighbours or even pets. The actions and behaviours of others can make or break a place as
mentioned in the lecture. Here the example was given of people who felt 'out of place' as others
decided for them to move or what decoration was bought. Also, when the elderly had their meals in
the common restaurant downstairs in the institution, the chewing and coughing of the other elderly
people didn't make lunch very pleasant for someone. This also caused the restaurant to be a place
with less positive feelings, declining the elderly's place attachment to that very place. Leaves the
physical environment, very important in shaping place attachment because it can severely restrict
the mobility or the feelings of safety. The environment needs to be familiar and comfortable for
elderly people to feel safe and at home. An example from the lecture showed that a central space of
surveillance in the institution made people able to see who's downstairs and, giving them sort of
feeling of being in control. But also the rules of a place, as for example the fixed lunch times in a
institution, affects how people experience the place. Place attachment is clearly a multidimensional
and dynamic concept.
19. How are issues of place relevant to understanding the social context of the elderly?
Place attachment is important for the elderly because place is a stable factor in times of change,
which gives a sense of security, refuge, self-confidence and comfort as well as keeps the past alive.
Attachment to place changes during ageing, with reduced mobility and changing priorities and ways
of life. The self-environment and the neighbourhood become more and more important as ‘stable
places’. Elderly people can feel out of place when taken away [e.g. to an institution, elderly home]
from their neighbourhood, where they have attached to nature, people and other significant objects.
20. How might an understanding of place affect institutional arrangements for caring for the
elderly?
Voor oudere mensen in de beleving van plaats anders dan de beleving van de plaats zoals jongere
mensen dat ervaren. Ouderen voelen zich over het algemeen kwetsbaarder en onveiliger dan dat
jongere mensen zich voelen. Ouderen zijn minder mobiel dan jonge mensen. Dit blijkt uit
verschillende vormen van mobiliteit. Voor ouderen kost het bijvoorbeeld veel meer moeite om een
kleine afstand af te leggen naar de supermarkt dan jongeren. Bepaalde voorzieningen en diensten
zijn over het algemeen veel minder bereikbaar voor ouderen. Hierop dient een beleidsmaker op in te
spelen. Het is belangrijk de ruimte zo in te richten dat ouderen op de plekken waar ze wonen kunnen
worden voorzien in hun belangrijkste levensbehoeften in de vorm van voorzieningen en diensten.
21. Critically discuss the notion that young people are ‘unfinished’. To the extent that the concept
is appropriate, what are the implications of this for the study of place?
Ok. In de powerpoints, in de artikelen en zelfs op het grote interweb is unfinished logisch te koppelen
met young people. De twee artikelen die over youth gaan, gaan ook niet in op dit specifieke punt.
Ik heb dus besloten iets te schrijven wat mij logisch lijkt, hopend dat het nog ergens op lijkt. Dit is
overigens hoe ik het tentamen waarschijnlijk zal schrijven.
Jongeren zijn onvoltooid (unfinished) in de zin dat het onderzoek naar jongeren en place onvoltooid
is. Het onderzoek van Trell en Van Hoven uit 2010 toont geschikte manieren om goed onderzoek te
doen naar deze groep, maar daarvoor was onderzoek naar deze groep erg lastig. Waarom is dat zo?
Jongeren geven zichzelf en hun ervaringen/gevoelens over place niet snel bloot. Onderzoekers staan
vaak als buitenstaanders tegenover jongeren, waardoor het onderzoek naar hun motivatie en
gevoelens niet echt subjectief is. Ga zelf maar na, in hoeverre toon jij een onderzoeker jouw
hangplekken, jouw zuipketen of wat dan ook.
De implicaties hiervoor zijn dat het onderzoek naar jongeren nog in de kinderschoenen staat, maar
zich gelukkig wel ontwikkelt. Het artikel ‘Making sense of place: exploring creative and (inter)active
research methods with young people’ (Trell et. al, 2010) geeft handvaten hoe onderzoek
vergemakkelijkt kan worden. Dit kan bijvoorbeeld door meer gebruikt te maken van media (film,
geluidsfragmenten) of door de jongeren meer de ruimte geven om de onderzoekers bij de hand te
nemen en zo actief verantwoordelijk te zijn voor de dingen die de onderzoeker ziet. Ook toonde het
onderzoek dat jongeren zich sneller en gemakkelijker uitdrukken tegenover de camera dan over
papier en via invulformulieren.
22. How is place relevant to the social context of farmers?
Article: ‘Social principles for agricultural extension to assist in the promotion of natural resource
management.’ Agriculture is farming, and farming is people. There are three key principles being:
awareness of farming as a social activity; recognition of the social diversity of farmers and the social
drivers in agriculture; and the socio-cultural basis adoption.
1.
Farming as a socio- cultural practice: farming is more than a technical activity, it’s a way of
live, farming is a vocation (roeping). It’s governed, informed and regulated by social processes.
2.
Farmers are not all the same: Different farmers have different priorities, understandings,
values, ways of working and problems. These are called different styles of farming.
3.
Adoption is a socio-cultural process: adoption takes place in a social context, with farmers
discussing their ideas with each other, especially when an idea becomes part of the normative
concept of ‘good farm management’. The act of adoption is not an unthinking response to
information provided by extension(verlichtingskunde, zie PPT lecture 4).
Farmers are humans too, as they have a sense of place towards their property and home, which we
shouldn’t underestimate. As well as an affection [place attachment in Friesland], farmers can feel a
place is part of oneself [for example hobby farmers in Denmark feel strong place identity] or feel they
are in the right place for their business [place dependence]. Owing to their different context,
interests and resources, farmers have a very particular sense of place which is an important factor in
whether or not they will adopt […] [Farming is a social and cultural activity. Farmers want practical
advice, but that advice needs to be based on a social understanding. Understanding farming from a
social perspective will greatly assist in the promotion of sustainable agriculture.]
Boeren zijn net mensen, maar hun belangen, context en resources verschillen en dat leidt tot een
wat andere sense of place (College Strijker)
22. How is place relevant to the social context of farmers?
Place is relevant to farmers since they depend on place for their living. They must make sure that the
place is no subject to degradation, since that could threaten the future of the farm and thus of the
farmers themselves. However, farmers are not all the same and not equally likely to adopt new ways
of farming as mentioned in an article by Frank Vanclay about the social principles for agricultural
extension. They have their own source of local knowledge which sometimes conflicts with scientific
views on farming and they are influenced by the decision of other farmers. Another example from
the article showed that farmers are deeply connected with the place they call their own. In one of
the 27 principles was mentioned that farmers have a strong desire to hand the farm on to ones
children. This is because of the strong emotional ties the farmers have with the specific place in
which their farm is located. If the farm can not be handed over to the farmer's children or other
family members, this evokes a feeling of personal failure and can even result in suicide.
In the lecture of Dirk Strijker about farming and place, movies were shown as examples of the
relation farmers have with place. Farmers in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, were so
much connected with their farm's location that they suffered a great deal from moving, even when
their new farm was located nearby. Farmers in France were farming for generations in a row and
never even thought about moving away. They got stuck so to say in their hometown, with almost no
chance of ever being able to leave that place. Place is thus highly relevant to the social context of
farmers, as it's essential for their livelihood and determines their future. Farmers are however not all
the same and have different perceptions to the concept of place and how to manage it on their farm.
These views are sometimes in conflict with scientific views on farming techniques and can cause a
negative attitude towards farmers as being stubborn, by not adopting scientific approved methods.
Ik snap de vraag niet: wat bedoelt hij precies met de sociale context van boeren?
Ik heb het artikel met de 27 principes en het college van Dirk Strijker gebruikt om informatie te
vinden over boeren, maar ik betwijfel of ik uiteindelijk de vraag heb beantwoord :p
23. What is meant by the terms ‘agrarianism’ and ‘stewardship’ and how does this affect
connection to place.
Agrarianism heeft twee verschillende betekenissen. De eerste is een sociale benadering en stelt dat
het boer zijn een stijl/manier van leven is. De plattelandsgemeenschap wordt boven de
stadsgemeenschap verkozen en zet dus het rustige plattelandsleven af tegen het drukke stadsleven
met allerlei banken en fabrieken. De tweede gaat over herverdeling van land. Hoofdzakelijk betekent
dit dat land van de rijkere boeren afgepakt wordt en overgeheveld wordt naar de armere boeren om
zo hun economische status te verhogen. Het pleit dus voor een landverdeling waar er geen hele arme
of hele rijke boeren bestaan.
Stewardship betekent dat je goed zorgt voor jouw grondgebied. Hierbij is duurzaamheid een
belangrijk begrip aangezien dat boerderijen vaak overgedragen worden van vader op zoon en zo
generaties lang kan bestaan. Het is dus de taak van de boer om goed voor het land te zorgen zodat
de volgende generatie er in dezelfde mate van kan profiteren als dat jij nu doet.
Deze twee begrippen zorgen ervoor dat boeren erg gehecht zijn aan de plek waar ze wonen en hun
bedrijvigheid uitvoeren. Agrarianism beweert dat het boeren een manier van leven is, het zit de
boeren in hun bloed. Het is een soort sociaal-culturele constructie die ervoor zorgt dat boeren aan
hun plek gehecht raken, bijvoorbeeld doordat de boerderij (lees “plek”) een familiebezit is en je dat
ook graag zo wilt houden. Dit maakt de “sense of place” sterker (college 15, boeren in Australië).
Door die sterke sense of place en generatiebezit van een boerderij, dragen boeren zo goed mogelijk
zorg voor hun land (stewardship). Duurzaamheid is zoals hierboven te lezen een cruciaal begrip bij
stewardship (wederom college 15). Doordat je zo goed zorg moet dragen voor je land raak je eraan
gehecht, omdat je er veel tijd, geld en werk in gestopt hebt. Je bent trots op wat je bereikt hebt met
je grond.
24. What are ‘Geographical Indications’. Name some specific labelling schemes and identify some
products that they apply to. Discuss some controversial issues associated with them.
Deze vraag heeft betrekking op het college over voedsel. Je weet wel, met al die kazen.
Wat is het?
Een ‘Geographical Indication’ of GI is een naam of teken op producten, welke staat voor een
specifieke geografische locatie (dorp, region, land). Het doel van een GI is het geven van een
bevestiging dat het product daadwerkelijk uit de region komt waar het vandaan ‘hoort’ te komen.
Denk aan Edammer Kaas die echt uit Edam komt, Parmezaanse kaas uit Parma, et cetera. Een
dergelijk label kan gegeven worden als het product dus uit een bepaalde regio komt, maar het kan
daarnaast ook te maken hebben met de toepassing van traditionele productiemethoden.
Issues?
Er zijn een aantal issues genoemd in college die ik mij nog vaag herinner. Enerzijds kan een product
wel een GI krijgen omdat het uit een bepaalde regio komt, maar als dat de enige voorwaarde is voor
een GI, maakt het verder weinig uit op welke wijze het product wordt geproduceerd. De kwaliteit van
het eindresultaat is dan ook van ondergeschikt belang, zolang het maar uit de ‘toegewezen’ regio
komt.
Je kan het verhaal ook omdraaien: een product moet op een bepaalde wijze geproduceerd worden
en/of van een bepaalde kwaliteit zijn, maar het hoeft niet in een specifiek gebied geproduceerd te
worden. Dan verdient het product – op basis van de definitie van een GI – zeker geen GI. Nog een
stap verder is het produceren van een product in een ander gebied, wat mogelijk is als de naam niet
beschermd is (Goudakaarsen worden tegenwoordig in Polen geproduceerd).
Een issue dat wel direct betrekking heeft op GI’s is de complete chaos die op dit gebied heerst. Voor
elk type product worden andere labels in het leven geroepen, waardoor een enorme wildgroei
ontstaat die de consument nauwelijks wijzer maakt. Dit zien we bijvoorbeeld ook bij fair-trade labels
en de bekende ‘ik kies bewust’-labels, waarvan inmiddels talloze varianten zijn bedacht (deels offtopic).
Een volgende issue is de relatieve onbekendheid onder consumenten van bepaalde labels. Dit staat
in het verlengde van de labelwildgroei, maar is wel een issue: de door de EU (?) vastgestelde labels
voor locale producten zijn nauwelijks bekend onder de Europese bevolking, waardoor het voordeel
dat producenten van het label genieten beperkt blijft.
25. Discuss Indigenous concepts of place and connection to the land.
Volkeren die als inheems worden beschouwd, stammen af van de populaties die het land of een
geografische regio al bewoonde ten tijde van de verovering, kolonialisatie of het vestigen van de
actuele grenzen en die ongeachte hun legale status, sommige of al hun eigen sociale, economische,
culturele en politieke instituties hebben behouden.
Deze inheemse volkeren zien plaats als een belangrijk aspect in hun leven. Deze volkeren leven vaak
al eeuwen lang op dezelfde plek of in dezelfde regio. Het is de basis van hun cultuur. Ze weten
precies hoe ze moeten omgaan met de natuur in hun gebied zodat ze hier goed eten kunnen
verzamelen d.m.v. jagen, verzamelen en vissen. Deze plaats/land is niet alleen belangrijk als
levensonderhoud, maar is ook de basis van spirituele overtuigingen en sociale controle
mechanismes.
In Brazilië zijn er verschillende problemen onder de inheemse volkeren. De Amazone wordt verwoest
door snelle ontwikkelingen, ‘farming’, het aanleggen van mijnen en dammen. De inheemse bevolking
wordt zo verjaagd van hun ‘thuis’. Dit laten ze niet zomaar over zich heen komen en gaan hier tegen
in protest. Ze zien het regenwoud als hun thuis en laten zich hier niet zomaar uit verjagen.
26. What does ‘free, prior and informed consent’ mean, and why is this important to place?
WHAT: The principle of FPIC refers to the right of indigenous peoples to give or withhold their
consent for any action that would affect their lands, territories or rights, as recognized in the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
HOW? Explaination from Conservation international’s website: ”In the context of FPIC, "free" means
that indigenous peoples' consent cannot be given under force or threat; "prior" indicates that
indigenous groups must receive information on the activity and have enough time to review it before
the activity begins; "informed" means that the information provided is detailed, emphasizes both the
potential positive and negative impacts of the activity, and is presented in a language and format
understood by the community; and "consent" refers to the right of the community to agree or not
agree to the project before it begins and throughout the life of the project. While FPIC is the right of
indigenous peoples alone under international law, the principles underlying it are generally
considered to be a good guideline for engaging any community or group of local stakeholders.”
(college SIA, Urk)
WHY? ‘Free, prior and informed consent’ is an appropriate philosophy for all projects (College Social
impact assessment (SIA)). This is important to place because it is about protecting places and cultural
inheritage. It is all about making sure that the people whose place it is consent to what is happening
and thus, become a part of the development. Without FPIC there is a danger of people losing
‘contact’ with the place because it has changed so much that they do not recognize it as home
anymore, and the cultural value will be severely decreased.
27. What is a ‘social licence to operate’?
A social license is not obtained by going to a government ministry, by application or paying a fee. A
social license to operate is gained by creating goodwill amongst the people who will be afflicted by a
certain project. In order to gain a license to operate a developer will need to become ‘part’ of the
community.
Social Impact Assessment is important in the process of gaining a social license, locals trust you more
when you try to give them a clear picture of the impact a certain project will have on their personal
live. By working together with the locals to address these issues and by trying to counter negative
impacts, you will gain the support of the locals and thus your social license to operate.
28. Describe ‘social impact assessment’ and discuss how it addresses place.
In het eerste helft van het college wordt er over Urk gesproken en wat de mensen daar vinden van
het geplande windmolenpark. Dit is een voorbeeld dat je kan opnemen bij deze vraag. Dit windmolen
park heeft een invloed op de cultural heritage, er is een gevoel van loss of place. Definitie letterlijk uit
het college: ‘SIA includes the processes of analysing, monitoring and managing
the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative,
of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked
by those interventions.’
Dus vooral de sociale gevolgen van een plannend intervention staan centraal i.p.v. de fysieke
gevolgen in een landschap.
Voor een bepaald project, bijvoorbeeld windmolens heb je een ‘social license to operate nodig’,
hiermee heb je de steun/goedkeuring van de lokale community en andere stakeholder om te
interveniëren in hun omgeving.
Deze sociale impact slaat door op plaatsen omdat de omgeving van mensen wordt aangetast.
Plaatsen vormen de identiteit van mensen dus daarom is de SIA een concept dat met mensen en
plaatsen van doen heeft.
Gooi er zelf nog veel voorbeelden bij van hoe iets bij jou in de buurt werd aangepakt door de
gemeente bijvoorbeeld en wat voor invloed dat had op jezelf en de buurt.
29. What is meant by a “cultural bubble”?
A cultural bubble is the result of mass tourism. People are traveling all over the world but
consumerists are not engaging with the local culture. It’s like the concept of hawaiianisation, tourists
are staying in all-in resorts like club-met, and there will be no interaction with the local culture. You
are in a different country, but you’re staying in your own cultural bubble.
Culture has been commercialized (commodified). A lot of hotels are owned by foreigners and there is
little influence of the local culture. Culture has become profane (this means not sacred anymore).
Due to mass tourism it turned from something special into something ordinary (every day’s). ‘The
Istanbul Hilton’ is an example of the worst form of globalization. It doesn’t make sense that the
Hilton hotel has a department in Istanbul.
29. What is meant by a ‘cultural bubble’?
In his lecture about tourism and place, Frank Vanclay discussed the concept of a ‘cultural bubble’.
Tourism intensely developed since 1920 and became a service industry that is in the ‘experience
business’. Here by is meant that tourism is about selling the experiences of a place, for example the
opportunity to relax at a Mediterranean beach or go surfing at an Australian one. Since there are
many types of tourism (mass tourism, sex tourism, ecotourism etc.), there are also many impacts
that tourism generates. This could be beneficial ones, like creating job opportunities for local people,
but it can also have negative effects like the deforestation as a result of creating hotels or ski runs for
example. Besides affecting the physical characteristics of a place, there are also changes noticeable in
the social spheres. As a result of the flows of people to their tourist destinations, people are
increasingly getting in contact with other cultures. They exchange habits and visions and thereby
enrich their perspective on the world and the people within. For this cultural exchange to happen,
there needs to be a certain form of contact however. The concept of a cultural bubble exemplifies
that this cultural exchange does not necessarily have to take place. Some people go on holiday, not
to get to know other cultures, but just to change the setting of their daily lives. Physically these
people are apparent in another country than their own and defined as a tourist, but mentally they
are still in their own world and in their own culture. They can be perceived as travelling around, but
surrounded with their own cultural bubble. Examples of these are the Costa Brava in Spain, where
Dutch teenagers go on holiday to the Spanish sun but experience nothing more than their own local
bars, food and fellow-countrymen or All-in resorts that are the same everywhere. No cultural
exchange takes place as the tourist is blind for anything else than what’s familiar.
30. Discuss the concept of ‘Responsible Tourism’ and how this is related to place.
Responsible tourism is een meer dan een vorm van toerisme, de toerist is actief bezig met het
'toerist zijn' en de consequenties die zijn gedrag heeft op de omgeving die de toerist bezoekt. Het
doel is om het toerisme te verbeteren, in plaats van het alleen te ondergaan. Negatieve
economische, sociale en mileuimpacten door het toerisme moeten zo klein mogeijk blijven, en de
locale bevolking moeten ervan vooruit gaan. De ervaring voor de toerist is beter omdat er contact is
met de lokale bevolking en de locale cultuur beter begrepen wordt. De toerist kan van zijn vakantie
genieten en tegelijkertijd de lokale bevolking en omgeving respecteren en verbeteren.
Het concept is gerelateerd aan place omdat de toerist de lokale plaatsgebonden cultuur, bevolking
en omgeving verkent, respecteert en zo een goed plaatje kan vormen van de bezochte plek. De
bezochte plek krijgt een bepaalde waarde toegekend, die speciaal voor die plek is. Dit is anders dan
bijvoorbeeld een luxe hotelvakantie in turkije, waar je alleen in het hotel en op het privéstrand
verblijft, met standaardvoedsel, en je daar alleen naartoe gaat vanwege het zonnige strand. De
hotels kun je zien als non-places.
31. Discuss the various forms of tourism and how they rely on place.
 Mass tourism – Er wordt gesproken over een cultural bubble. Hoewel je ergens anders heen
reist, hou je er nog dezelfde soort levensstijl op na als thuis. Denk hierbij aan hetzelfde eten,
dezelfde taal en dezelfde cultuur. Een voorbeeld dat werd gegeven was een Amerikaans
hotel in Istanbul. Dit is totaal niet Turks, maar sommige mensen nemen graag hun eigen
cultuur en leefomgeving mee op vakantie. Het is een vorm van toerisme die gericht is op
consumptie. Er is veelal sprake van een gestandaardiseerde organisatie. Ervaringen zijn voor
alle gasten hetzelfde. Hawaiianisation wordt het ook wel genoemd.
 Sex Tourism – Dit wordt vooral bedreven door mensen uit de Westerse wereld. Vanclay geeft
voorbeelden van mannen die op zoek gaan naar prostituees of kinderen; vrouwen die op
zoek gaan naar native mannen en westerse mannen en vrouwen die samen op vakantie gaan
om elders seks met elkaar te hebben :’) Tegenwoordig komt de vorm gay-tourism ook op.
Landen die als voorbeeld worden gegeven zijn Thailand en Kenia.
 Romance Tourism – Stellen zijn de doelgroep bij deze vorm van toerisme. Het gaat vooral om
elkaar.
 Adventure Tourism – Bij deze vorm gaat men op avontuur. Denk aan trektochten, terug naar
de natuur, etc. Het kan overal ter wereld eigenlijk wel.
 Ecotourism – Deze vorm van toerisme is erop gericht om wel iets te zien van de wereld, maar
dit te doen zonder het milieu al te veel te belasten. Ook wordt de term culturally sensitive
gebruikt, wat betekent dat er met respect wordt omgegaan met andere culturen.
 Cultural & Heritage Tourism – Kopie van de powerpoint-slide: Richards (1997, p. 24) defined
cultural tourism as “all movements of persons to specific cultural attractions, such as
heritage sites, artistic and cultural manifestations, arts and drama outside their normal place
of residence.”; “A form of experiential tourism based on the search for and participation in
new and deep cultural experiences of an aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, or psychological
nature” (Christou, 2005; Reizinger, 1994).
 Agritourism – Deze vorm van toerisme heeft betrekking op het leven op het platteland c.q.
de boerderij. Kamperen bij de boer is een goed voorbeeld.
 Genealogy Tourism – Bij deze vorm van toerisme treed je in de voetsporen van je
voorouders. Je kijkt in welke omgeving je voorouders leven. “Reconnect with the past.”
 Hobby Tourism – Deze vorm van toerisme vindt vooral plaats in groepsverband. Het is veelal
een vorm van toerisme waarbij mensen met dezelfde interesse dezelfde activiteit gaan doen.
Denk hierbij aan mensen die graag wandelen, of foto’s maken. Dit doen ze zo om nog meer
te genieten van hun reis.
 Sport Tourism – Dit slaat ofwel op het willen deelnemen of aanschouwen van welke vorm
van sport dan ook.
 Culinary Tourism – Kort gezegd het reizen om het kenmerkende voedsel van een bepaalde
streek of land te ervaren.
 Educational Tourism – Doelen kunnen zijn: andere culturen leren kennen (Student Exchange
Programs); skills die je al beheerst leren toepassen binnen een andere cultuur.
 Faith-Based Tourism (Pilgrimages) – Toerisme wordt ondernomen vanuit religieus oogpunt.
Het gaat dan om locaties bezoeken die een belangrijke plaats innemen binnen het geloof.
Voor al deze vormen van toerisme neem ik aan dat wel kan worden bedacht in hoeverre deze
plaatsgebonden zijn of in hoeverre plaats van belang is. De vormen Wine Tourism, Gambling
Tourism, Medical & Health Tourism en Drug Tourism. Deze spreken voor zich lijkt me.
32. Discuss the implications of a loss of place on people and describe situations when people lose
place.
Places are (re)produced through people’s imaginations, memories, emotions and feelings, both
positive and negative, and by using different senses. Making place meaningful makes it belong to us
in some way. Meaningful places become part of who we are, the way we understand ourselves and,
literally, our place in the world. Sense of place can be viewed as place identity, place attachment and
place dependency. When people lose place they can lose a piece of their identity. Some people like
farmers depend on their place. If something were to happen to this place due to an unfortunate
event, these people would not only lose a part of their identity but also their economic viability.
Because of the plans for the ‘windfarm Noordoostpolder’, the inhabitants of Urk could perceive a
loss of place. The community of Urk has strong place attachment. People in the community have a
huge affection for the sea and the vista from the dike, due to the town’s history as an island in the
Zuiderzee. The changes associated with the windfarm will have a major effect on the community’s
self-identification.
We saw another example of loss of place in the documentary shown to us by Dirk Strijker in his
lecture. The government bought agricultural land to create new nature. In an interview a farmer was
full of emotion because he moved to a different farm only something like 5 km away. So was so
touched because he lost a place of his identity, a place where he lived his whole life and thus had a
strong attachment to.
33. Why would Goffman’s concept of ‘total institutions’ be relevant to the study of place?
A total institution is a place of (work and) residence where a great number of similarly situated
people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, together lead an enclosed,
formally administered round of life. Such as (mental) hospitals, boarding schools, ships, orphanages
and jail. The place that you live, work and spend your leisure time is one place unlike a normal living
environment where these activities are (spatially) separated from each other. They also have in
common that other people control the place for you, so your freedom is restricted whereas the
people in control are not because they are just working there. The lack of freedom and the fact that
your Daily Activity Space (DAS) is in a bounded area could have serious negative impacts on the way
that you will perceive this total institution. The loss of mobility results in a loss of independency,
which results in diminished wellbeing.
34. How might technology affect a person’s sense of place, and the concept of place in general?
Technology, and more specifically information technology, has an impact on a person's sense of
place. The technology enables us to travel faster and further, connect with people and places around
the world. Our predecessors from more than 100years ago didn't have these opportunities, their
connection with place was more deep but also narrower. They didn't travel that far because they
didn't have the ability, but also because of their decency on the land: farmers and their land,
labourers and their factory etc. Our generation has those abilities to travel and connect with other,
further, places. Above that our attachment and our dependency changed a lot. We don't longer need
to live close to a farm for food, close to shops for other things because of the information
technologies. On the other hand, the interaction with the place can become less intense, for example
by buying or visiting places on internet, there is only a visual interaction. This makes the process of
constructing a sense of place difficult, because more senses are involved. Because of technology, our
sense of place could become less deep, but also broader, better informed and maybe more open to
differences too.
The concept of place in general might change because of technology. The classical theories and
thoughts about sense of place are based on physical locations and people physically attached to a
place in some way. (Information)Technology changes the way we interact with other people for
some part. Our 'being space' shifts partly from physical places to virtual places/communities like
Facebook. These places become the place where we share our stories, experiences and memories.
Also narratives and image making are taking place more and more in the virtual world. This doesn't
mean that physical places will disappear from the concept of place, in some ways physical places and
face to face contacts are becoming more and more important these days. The concept of place could
shift from a physical place to a more fuzzy concept of a places that are online and offline and interact
with each other.
35. What is ‘biophilia’? Who invented (or popularised) the term? Is biophilia increasing or
decreasing in the population and why? Is it likely that different groups have different levels of
biophilia?
Biophilia is ‘love of nature’. E. O. Wilson heeft de term uitgevonden. Biophilia neemt toe in de
populatie. Verschillende onderzoeken hebben uitgewezen dat veel Europeanen, Noord-Amerikanen
en Aziatische groepen natuurlijke landschappen boven stedelijke gebouwen preferen (college agnes
van den berg). Steden met meer groen hebben een hogere waarde dan steden met weinig groen.
Ook speelt biophilia in architectuur een grote rol. De reden dat ‘love of nature’ toeneemt is omdat
het een herstellende werking heeft. Het neemt stress weg, maakt je hoofd leeg en geeft ruimte voor
zelfreflectie. Het kan zo zijn dat verschillende groepen verschillende levels van biophilia hebben. Uit
onderzoek van Agnes van den berg is gebleken dat mooie natuur herstellender werkt dan minder
mooie natuur. Wat mooi is is alleen heel subjectief. Vandaar dat het tussen groepen en binnen
groepen anders kan worden ervaren.
36. What are the four characteristics of a restorative environment experience?
1.Being away
Free from reminders of daily hassles and obligations.
2.Compatibility
A good fit between the person and the environment.
3.Extent
Being in a whole different world, feeling a sense of connectedness, coherence, “there is more to life”.
4. Soft Fascination.
Attention is drawn effortlessly without taking up all resources.
37. Consider the statement: “Nature is easy on the eye”. What does this mean and what theories
exist to explain it?
It is difficult to define nature, because as soon we start thinking about is it is actually become culture
right away. (Culturele Geografie, meen dit te hebben onthouden destijds). But when I think of nature
I will think of the forest I used to go in the weekends when I was little or the national parks in the
USA. I see nature as a thing that isn’t touched by men. So farmlands aren’t nature for me as men
planted things for consumption and suchlike. But I’m actually not sure if the forest I used to go aren’t
plant there as well to be nature. So you can’t actually define nature. Nature is conceived of as an
objective physical reality. What one sees as nature isn’t in fact nature for the other.
38. What are some of the differences in the ways people relate to nature?
College dat bij deze vraag past is college 5: ‘People-Nature Relationships’, gegeven door Agnes van
den Berg. Oja, onderstaand stukje is erg algemeen. Mocht deze vraag op het tentamen komen, vul
dan zelf aan met eigen biophobia’s etc..
Environmental psychology bestudeert het gedrag van mensen in relatie tot de natuur en de
gebouwde omgeving. De vraag ‘Wat is mooie natuur?’ is voor iedereen verschillend. Goed
onderhouden natuur is over het algemeen gewild onder laag opgeleiden, boeren en ouderen. De
voorkeur voor verzorgde natuur komt door hun voorliefde voor structuur, verbondenheid en
veiligheid. Wilde natuur daarentegen, is gewild onder hoger opgeleiden en jongeren. Deze mensen
vinden in de wilde natuur uitdagingen, creativiteit, doen inspiratie op en denken dat wilde natuur
bijdraagt aan persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Natuurlijke landschappen worden over het algemeen
geprefereerd boven urbane landschappen.
Naast dat natuur mooi en niet mooi gevonden kan worden, spelen emoties ook een rol. In een
bovenstaande vraag is al begrip ‘Biophilia’ uitgelegd. De tegenhanger van Biophilia is ‘Biophobia. Dit
betekent letterlijk angst voor natuur. De meeste fobieën gerelateerd aan natuur hebben betrekking
op een bepaald onderdeel uit de natuur die mensen door de jaren heen hebben bedreigd. Denk aan
diep water, extreme hoogtes, bloed en enge diersoorten.
Natuur heeft positieve uitwerkingen op:
-concentratie
-stress en mentale vermoeidheid
-stemming
-fysieke gesteldheid
39. Discuss why place is a relevant consideration in discussions about roadside memorials.
Ik heb dit even gekopieerd uit een artikel. Volgens mij wordt het hier wel een beetje in duidelijk. De
discussie rond bermmonumenten gaat vooral over het feit, dat zulke persoonlijke monumenten in een
publieke ruimte terecht komen. Daardoor verandert de ‘identiteit’ van deze ’anonieme’ plaats
meteen. En wordt er volgens mij een beetje een bepaald soort ‘sense of place’bij mensen
opgedrongen. Dus: is deze plek van het publiek, of is deze plek een beetje van de nabestaande
geworden na het overlijden van hun dierbare? Dit hebben we allemaal ook wel gediscussieerd bij Cult
Geo in jaar 1.
Roadside memorials are frequently visible in the Netherlands. Such a memorial marks a previously
anonymous roadside, which is transformed into a place with special, even sacred, meanings to the
bereaved, as it is the place where their loved one has died. We look at these memorials from a
geographical point of view, i.e. we discuss the memorials as meaningful places.
The memorials may evoke tensions between private versus public interests. Mourners often assume
that they can construct a memorial for private purposes in a public place for as long as they need it
there. This stems from three main elements of experience: “the overwhelming empowerment of
grief; the belief that the presence of the deceased can be felt and recognized; and the understanding
that the place where life was lost is a special place for memorialisation”
“For us, that place is loaded with emotional value and with grief. We wanted to mark that and show
it.” Another reason for establishment is to warn the public.
40. Consider burial places and/or crematoria. Discuss to what extent does the changing location
and design of these places over time reflect changing societal attitudes to death?
Voor zover ik weet is er in college niet echt wat over de dood of begraafplaatsen gezegd. Dus ik heb
maar even research op internet gedaan, dus misschien heb je er wat aan!
Vroeger was de dood meer een taboe en waren grafstenen minder persoonlijk. Tegenwoordig wordt
er juist veel over de dood gepraat in het rouwproces, om het een plek te kunnen geven (misschien
een eigen ervaring met iemand die overleden is).
Op begraafplaatsen is dit terug te zien aan de grafstenen, tegenwoordig krijgt ieder die begraven
wordt een persoonlijk graf. Op de grafsteen staat vaak een persoonlijke tekst en soms een foto. Ook
is er een plek voor urnen waar foto’s, teksten en herinneringen kunnen worden bijgezet. De
grafstenen/plekken voor urnen zijn veel persoonlijker geworden. Men zoekt tegenwoordig het graf
van een dierbare nog eens op. Vroeger waren grafstenen anoniemer.
Ook verschilt het per geloof hoe er met de dood wordt omgegaan. En bestaan er verschillende
begraafplaatsen voor verschillende geloven, bijvoorbeeld een joodse of een islamitische
begraafplaats.
41. Is death taboo in our society? Discuss from a cultural geography perspective with particular
reference to how death occurs in ‘place’.
BELANGRIJK: In de colleges is hierover niets terug te vinden, dus heb ik zelf maar wat bedacht.
De vraag of de dood een taboe is in onze maatschappij, is heel complex. Aan de ene kant wordt er
liever niet over gepraat, maar tegelijkertijd hangt de dood samen met allerlei rituelen en gebruiken.
Deze rituelen en gebruiken (en de resultaten ervan) zijn ook in de fysieke ruimte terug te vinden. Wel
zijn deze plaatsen vaak ‘afgesloten’; er worden niet overal lukraak gedenkmonumenten en
begraafplaatsen aangelegd. Met andere woorden, de dood heeft wel een plaats in onze ruimte, maar
die is in grote mate afgebakend. Daarom is het vaak ook zo’n bestuurlijk/maatschappelijk issue als er
ergens een gedenkteken (zoals een bermmonument of een gedenktegel op de plek waar iemand is
verongelukt of vermoord) geplaatst wordt; eigenlijk heeft de samenleving liever geen plaatsen die
met de dood worden geassocieerd buiten die we met z’n allen daarvoor hebben aangewezen
(begraafplaatsen, kerkhoven, mortuaria). Toch mogen die vaak geplaatst worden, omdat het belang
van de nabestaanden vaak groot wordt geacht.
Gedeeltelijk rust er dus inderdaad wel een licht taboe rondom de dood. De plaatsen waar de dood
zichtbaar aanwezig is, worden vaak afgebakend. Daarbuiten willen we de dood zo min mogelijk
tegenkomen. Dat uit zich ook in hoe men omgaat met bijvoorbeeld het huis waarin iemand
gestorven is. Wanneer iemand zich daar van bewust is, hebben veel mensen daar negatieve
gevoelens bij.
Anderzijds is er wel degelijk ruimte voor de dood in de ruimte: voor uitvaartstoeten wordt respectvol
gewacht en door het luiden van de kerkklokken (vooral in kleinere gemeenschappen) weet iedereen
dat er een begrafenis is. Hier rust geen taboe op. Ook gedenkstenen en bermmonumenten worden
vaak getolereerd, vooral als iemand ‘tragisch’ om het leven gekomen is.
In andere samenlevingen gaat men heel anders om met de dood; in bijvoorbeeld India en op Bali
worden mensen in de open lucht gecremeerd en in veel Latijns-Amerikaanse culturen wordt er
gefeest rondom iemands overlijden (publiek). Hier lijkt geen taboe op te rusten, in tegendeel: veel
Indiase hindoes willen niet dat hun overledene wordt gecremeerd in een crematorium, omdat dat
het ritueel verandert. Ook dichterbij gaat men al andersom met de dood. Bermmonumenten zijn in
Duitsland en Rusland maatschappelijk veel geaccepteerder dan in Nederland.
XX. Discuss the differences between place attachment, place identity, place dependence and
related terms. Zie college Dirk Strijker.
›
Sense of place (Jorgensen & Stedman, 2001)
•
Place attachment
•
Affectieve/emotionele relatie
•
Place identity–part of ‘self’
•
Cognitief: hoe de plaats een onderdeel van je identiteit wordt
•
Place dependency
•
Is the place the ‘right’ place to do what one wants to do
›
Alledrie aspecten van sense of place spelen een rol
•
Attachment, identity, dependency
•
Zeker ook place dependency
Place attachment refers specifically to the extent to which an individual has positive feelings about
their local environment and/or community. Place attachment is comprised f a relationship with social
aspects of place (place identity) and of a relationship with physical aspects of place (place
dependence). Place familiarity and place awareness are about the amount of knowledge one has of a
place. Although rather different in concept, place familiarity can be used to measure the difficult-tograsp level of attachment one has. Place commitment refers to the extent to which individuals are
willing to contribute to their place, linked to place satisfaction. Belongingness and community
connectedness refer to a strong attachment to a community as place. This is close to social capital,
which is especially about bonding ties. Issues like community cohesion are linked to the sense of
place one has, because the community is the place.
Place identity of people vs. Identity of place:
Plaatsidentiteit van mensen (Proshansky, 1978)
o
The role of a place in ‘self’
Identiteit van een plaats (Paasi, 1986 e.v.)
XX. Discuss the differences between place attachment, place identity, place dependence and
related terms.
These 3 term were mentioned in the lecture of Dirk strijker about farming and place. Place
attachment is about the emotional relation someone has with a particular place. This was
examplified with a movie about Frisian farmers who found it very difficult to leave their home, even
though their new home was not that far away. These Frisian farmers were thus very attached to their
place.
Place dependency is about the characteristics of a place: is the place right to do what one wants to
do? In the case of the Frisian farmers, the question is if the soil is suitable enough to be a farmer
there. The farmers are thus dependent on the quality of the soil: they can only be farmers at that
specific place, if the soils gives them the possibilities to be and are thus dependent on that place. If
the soil is suitable for farming, the farmers is almost bounded to that place, since moving would bring
the uncertainty of the soil somewhere else not being suitable for farming.
Place identity is cognitive and is about how place becomes part of your identity or how place gets its
own identity. Place identity can be split into 2 concepts. The first is the place identity of people and is
about the role of place in the human 'self'. In the case of the Frisian farmers it's about how the
Frisian landscape is embedded in the identity of the farmers and how much these farmers perceive
this landscape as part of themselves. As shown in the movie, these farmers have a high degree of
place identity. The second concept is about the identity of a place itself and deals with the identity
that people ascribe to a place. This could result in a regional identity, which people can use as a
marketing tool to sell that place. All you need is a good story, because a good story can sell
everything.