Session 4: The Landscape school: Details, challenges, and transitions September 17, 2013 Tablelands, South Africa Norton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills. Readings : Chapter 2 of Norton – The Landscape School; Towards Holistic Emphasis; Chapter 3 – Spatial Analysis 1) Humans use of nature: Parks 2) Lecture: The Landscape school of human geography 3) Holistic emphasis 4) Intro to concepts of spatial analysis
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Session 4: The Landscape school: Details, challenges, and transitions
September 17, 2013
Tablelands, South Africa
Norton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills.
Readings: Chapter 2 of Norton – The Landscape School; Towards Holistic Emphasis; Chapter 3 – Spatial Analysis
1) Humans use of nature: Parks
2) Lecture: The Landscape school of human geography
3) Holistic emphasis
4) Intro to concepts of spatial analysis
Concept: “Wicked problems”
‘wicked problems’: contentious, highly complex, and characterized by indeterminacy (Rittel and Webber, 1973).
Such problems are not easily resolved through conventional methods of inquiry.
‘Wicked problems’ require researchers to bring together disciplines to develop transdisciplinary understandings and work creatively to understand ‘real-world’ multi-dimensional problems (Buchanan, 1992; Coyne, 2005).
References:
Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design issues, 8(2), 5-21.Coyne, R. (2005). Wicked problems revisited. Design studies, 26(1), 5-17.Rittel, H. W., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in general theory of planning. Policy Science, 4, 155-169.
Human Use of Nature
“Use” – is a concept, social construct, and loaded term
“dominion” over “nature” and “others” has deeply affected the
Example: the concept of conservation and protected areas
significant shifts in policy and the way “protection” is modeledhowever much of the same continues
Images: National Geographic
Long history of colonization by the British – deemed them incompatible with nature
separation of humans and nature
Parks established without the prior consent of the Maasai
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) played a major role in this.
“It is we Maasai who have preserved this priceless heritage in our land. We were sharing it with the wild animals long before the arrival of those who use game only as a means of making money. So please do not tell us that we must be pushed off our land for the financial convenience of commercial hunters and hotel-keepers. Nor tell us that we must live only by the rules and regulations of zoologists…If Uhuru (independence) means anything at all, it means that we are to be treated like humans, not animals" (Amin, 181).
*Language can be very telling in determining the ‘nature’ – human relationship worldview
*compare to previous quote
World conservation paradigm
Shifting towards acknowledging that people are part of nature
in policy and the passing of motions through specialized commissions
CEESP: Commission for Environmental, Economic and Social PolicyWCPA: World Commission on Protected Areas
Promote the TILCEPA working group: Theme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas
“...concerned with the social aspects of Protected Areas. Particular attention is given to the participation, rights, values, livelihoods and contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities living in or affected by Protected Areas"
Ways of including communities in ‘resource’ management
Different models for co-management
CS
S C
S: State; C: Community
Source: Carlsson & Berkes, 2005
1. Co-management as an exchange system
i.e. exchange of information, goods and service; separate spheres of dominance
2. Co-management as a joint organization
i.e. joint decision making, boarders between sectors are blurred
Ways of including communities in ‘resource’ management
Different models for co-management
S C
C S
S: State; C: Community
Source: Carlsson & Berkes, 2005
3. Co-management as State-nested system
e.g. Provincial forests in Canada
4. Co-management as a community-nested system
e.g. privately owned grazing lands
*3 & 4 are mostly what we see in Canada
New item / thought provoking item of the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05eIN02x26Q
Sharing Our Histories: The Keeseekoowenin Ojibway. Riding Mountain
Produced by: Parks Canada in association with Riding Mountain National Park of Canada and Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation Sharing Lodge / Interpretive Centre
‘The cultural landscape is fashioned froma natural landscape by a culture group.Culture is the agent, the natural area isthe medium, the cultural landscape theresult.Under the influence of a givenculture, itself changing through time, thelandscape undergoes development,passing through phases, and probablyreaching ultimately the end of its cycleof development.’ – Carl Sauer
The Landscape school
Factors
Geological
Climatic
Vegetational
WeatherLand
SurfaceSoilDrainageMinerals
Sea and CoastPlants
NaturalLandscape
Forms
TIME
Morphology of the landscape
Sauer’s key ideas leading to 3 major themes
1) Ecological component: Cultural landscapes result from occupance of a physical landscape
2) Evolutionary component: Cultural landscapes change through time
3) Regional or cultural component: Cultural activities result in the creation of a relatively distinct cultural landscape
Factors
TIME NaturalLandscapeCulture
PopulationDensityMobility
HousingStructure
ProductionCommunication
CulturalLandscape
Forms
The Landscape school
*evolutionarycomponent
*ecologicalcomponent
*regional or culturalcomponent
Environmental determinism
WeatherLand
SurfaceSoilDrainageMinerals
Sea and CoastPlants
NaturalLandscape
Forms
TIME
PopulationDensityMobility
HousingStructure
ProductionCommunication
CulturalLandscape
Forms
TIME
*Imagining landscapes through art maps – the work of Miriam Rudolph
superorganic - mechanist and determinist way of thinking independent from individuals of a society
Comte & Spencer - society as an integrated entity , comparable to a physical system and entirely determining the behaviour of the people within it (Norton, 2005, p.60)
Understanding the superorganic through art
Kroeber – non-organic human product of societies, cultural institutions, modes of production, and levels of technology (Norton, 2005, p.60)
More scholarly interpretations pgs. 60-61
Manitoba I – Highway 75 (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
Manitoba II – Flax and Canola Fields (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
Manitoba III – Pembina Hills and Hay Bales (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
“The map-like structure of my paintings allows me to build up a narrative of
different experiences simultaneously.”
- Miriam Rudolph
Photo: Montana Department of Environment
Revisions of the landscape approach
Subtle revisions prior to the 1970s:
1) decreased emphasis on the evolution component
2) diminishing emphasis on maintaining the regional focus & increased emphasis on the visible landscape
3) close integration of historical and cultural analysis
4) decreasing emphasis on culture as cause
*rejection of superorganic (cultural elements independent of individual members of society) – maintained a focus on the physical landscape
Towards holistic emphasis
Greek and Christian notions of holism: included notions of both ranking of living things and unity of all living things
Geographical thought (Renaissance to 1800): Leading scholars (Hutton & Lamarck) conceived of humans as being a part of nature
19th Century, Humbolt and Ritter made the greatest contributions
* Earth as an organic whole: “land affects the inhabitants and the inhabitants affect land”
Ecological emphasis: “organisms in their homes” – rejected the separation of humans and nature & avoided the reductionist perspective
*Things cannot be studied out of their context & interrelationships of all kinds are important
Anishinaabe teachings
Evolutionary Naturalism
Naturalism: cause and effectPillarsof science +
Evolution: all things are connected
Dualism 2 currents of thought in the Western word:
sacred & secular
Encourages the study of human institutions using the procedures used in the sciences
Based on:
Source: Norton 2005, Table 3.1, pg. 70
Spatial analysis – outside of the cultural geo sub-discipline
(relating to scientific laws)(relating to individual regions)
Running in parallel with the landscape school...
The influence of science in geography...spatial analysis
Spatial analysis is based on generalizations
Directed towards physical and economic geography
Cultural geography is based on particularities of culture and space
Quantitative and Qualitative differences in approaches to questions:
Different kinds of questions require different kinds of approaches!
Quantitative approaches can only answer the causality (“why”) of some questions.
e.g. prevalence of lead poisoning, settlements, and migration related to watershed contamination due to mineral extraction