Study Notes on Landscape, Identity, and Time
Class 12: Landscape, Identity, and Time
Section 1: Introduction and Review
Overview of the Topic
Exploration of landscape theories from the 1970s to 2000s
Observational trend: Geographers’ general disinterest in studying culture, yet they discuss their own (Western) cultures through landscape interpretations
Transitioning from symbolic readings of landscapes to phenomenology as an approach derived from humanism and postmodernism
Encouragement that students should not be intimidated by phenomenology as it aligns with expectations when registering for the course
Previous Lecture Review
Introduction to influential geographers: Cosgrove, Daniels, Duncan, and Rose
Central concept:
Epistemological idea connected to landscape paintings, emphasizing landscape as something to be viewed.
Counterpoint from Jackson: landscape as something experienced in motion rather than static observation.
Focus on what is present in landscapes versus what is hidden or missing; rationale for these aspects.
Critique by Rose: The viewer's perspective is biased, usually reflecting a male viewpoint.
Asserting that the gaze of the viewer brings personal bias into landscape interpretations and aligns with postmodern thought—there is no absolute interpretation of landscapes.
Understanding Landscape
Landscape viewed as being culturally significant—constructed and circulated in people’s minds, embedding symbols, images, and discourses.
Introduction of Critical-Constructivist Paradigm (1980s):
Critical: Involves questioning the meanings derived from landscapes.
Constructivist: Views landscapes as mentally constructed rather than naturally occurring.
Critical constructionists labeled symbologists; see landscapes as symbols rather than purely visual representations.
First-generation cultural geographers underline landscape as a façade requiring ‘unmasking’ to reveal underlying power structures.
Purpose of Current Lecture
Discuss criticisms of symbolic approaches to landscapes that emerged in the 1990s and 2000s.
Section 2: Identities, Time, and Landscapes
Concept of Identity
Review of how race, gender, and socio-economic status shape interactions with and constructions of landscapes.
Definition of identity: Previously conceived as stable and categorically fixed (e.g., defining someone as a Black woman).
Emergence of New Perspectives
Influenced by humanism, feminism, and postmodernism—questioning stability and persistence of identity.
Identity perceived as fluid and shaped by social environments rather than fixed attributes.
Example: Definition of womanhood can change socially over time, reflecting a dynamic nature.
Identity in Context
Fluidity of identity: Emphasis on how people can choose to foreground or background specific identities in various contexts.
Example: Roles such as student versus worker, and adjustments to persona based on environment.
Discussion on social construction of identities based on visible features (body, attire, etc.), which can complicate the negotiation of identity.
Illustrates the shifting nature of identities across time and culture—key focus of the lecture.
Social Constructs and Cultural Contexts
Noting that phenomena such as race are socially rather than genetically constructed.
Discussion of Marcia and Millie Biggs, delineating how identity perceptions challenge American racial notions.
Identifying identities in cultural contexts entails understanding expected behaviors and visibility in specific landscapes (e.g., Apartheid South Africa).
Change in Identity Meaning
Underlines that identity meanings evolve; however, these changes are not always progressive or equitable.
Reference to Foucault: Disputes viewing history as a continuum of progress.
Historical Identity Examples
Indentured Servants in Colonial America
Circa early 1600s: White or Black indentured servants worked for limited periods (3-7 years) to repay debts.
50% of European immigrants in the early 1700s were estimated to be white indentured servants.
Transition from Servitude to Slavery
Slavery laws emerged when the labor demand increased with the tobacco and cotton industries.
Shift to view slavery as racially enforced, cementing a racial hierarchy which persists today.
Modern Racial Disparities
Continued racial discrimination: Data reflecting higher mortality rates among Black Americans compared to White counterparts.
Key Statistics
Black Americans face police fatalities at a rate nearly three times higher than White Americans.
Significant disparities in health indicators (maternal and infant mortality rates).
Naturalization of Identity Constructs
Identity is social and culturally constructed to the extent that it becomes normalized and social behavior dictated by these constructs.
Examples examine shifts in childhood identity constructs from past perspectives of childhood as labor to its current protected status.
Section 3: Criticisms of Symbolic Readings of Landscape
Critique Overview
Two main criticisms regarding the symbolic interpretation of landscapes by new cultural geographers (e.g., Cosgrove, Rose):
Draw focus away from physical landscapes experienced daily.
Creates a static view of landscapes by ignoring historical and future contexts, tying them to an uninterrupted past.
Criticism #1: Materialism vs. Symbolism
First generation of ‘New’ Geographers viewed landscapes symbolically, linking them to cultural oppression.
Material aspects of landscapes were downplayed, which oversaw various cultural and political relationships.
Duncan's Perspective: Critique of groundless idealism emphasizing the necessity of a physical connection in understanding landscapes—"Ideas take place on earth" (1990:15).
Response to Materialism Critique
The emphasis shifted towards the substantive nature of landscapes as dynamic rather than fixed; call for a revitalization of the discussion concerning landscape as both experience and artifact.
Kenneth Olwig: Advocated for understanding the landscape from the vernacular view—highlighting lived cultural histories, rather than a symbolism tied to elite perspectives.
Outcomes of the Materialism Critique
Development of new research directions influenced by materialism, including:
Marxism: Further studies in the material processes related to labor and production, contrasting previous symbolic interpretations.
Cultural Practice in Landscapes: Analyzing the discourses and myriad practices involved in shaping and being shaped by landscapes.
Marxism Revisited
Exploration of landscapes as a means of oppression, extending beyond symbolic ideals to encompass labor exploitation frameworks—Don Mitchell’s emphasis on real-world power dynamics within landscapes.
“There’s no such thing as culture, only a very strong idea of culture.”
Mitchell’s Landscape Theory: Landscapes should be considered processes reflecting economic realities and power struggles, continuously evolving and shaped by societal forces rather than static textual interpretations.
Actions in Landscape
Investigations inspired by Foucault's ideas directed towards understanding behavior and culture in the landscape versus merely symbolic interpretations.
Emergence of the term ‘discourse’ representing the interactions of power, norms, and lived experiences within landscapes—shifting focus to everyday practices.
Foucault on Discourse
Definition of discourse: A comprehensive view integrating written, spoken, and acted forms defining landscapes.
Concepts of power derived from societal norms rather than exclusive elite control; societal boundaries shape normal actions related to landscapes.
Section 4: Phenomenology
Definition and Origin
Phenomenology as a theoretical perspective advocating for a faithful description of everyday lived experiences.
Emergence during the late 19th Century through Edmund Husserl who critiqued the Cartesian dualism separating mind from body.
Branches of Phenomenology
Existential Phenomenology popularized by Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty focused on embodiment and lived experiences in nature-culture discussions.
Prominence of phenomenology increased in the 1970s alongside humanism and critiques of viewing landscapes solely symbolically.
Merleau-Ponty’s Contributions
Emphasis on the unity of body and perception—challenging Cartesian separation, asserting all perception interrelates in experiencing the world.
Critique of Objectivity in Landscape
Landscape should be seen as a lifeworld—an environment to dwell rather than merely observed.
Recognizes the embodied nature of interaction with landscapes opposed to viewing them only as symbols.
Emphasis on Subjectivity
Critique of Descartes' privileging of vision as a means of knowing, advocating for the interconnectedness of experiencing and understanding landscapes.
Vision from the embodied perspective provides authentic experiencing, integrating sight and presence as one.
Conclusion and Homework
Reflection on Identity and Landscape
Encouraging review and analysis of how identities interrelate with landscapes, emphasizing the impacts of power dynamics and societal perceptions.
Homework Assignment
Write a phenomenological account detailing a sensory experience from daily life as an exploration of your relationship with space, emphasizing the unity of body and mind.
Required reading: Tim Ingold’s chapter discussing temporality in landscape, introducing concepts such as the taskscape.
Study Tips
Review material related to key thinkers: Don Mitchell, David Matless, Michel Foucault, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Yi-Fu Tuan, Tim Ingold.