Cultural Landscapes

Discussion 1: Tuan writes that, "Place is a center of meaning constructed by experience" (p. 152). (A) Drawing on examples from Tuan, explain how we come to know places. (B) Explain how scale affects our ability to understand places

According to Tuan, we come to know places through experience, smell, touch, and over time. He compares knowing places like knowing people. It is with emotion and in abstract senses. We know places differently depending on the scale. We know our home intimately, and our nation distantly but well enough that we identify with the culture as home. The bigger scale gets the less connected we are with a place. Experience and time become more important with larger scales.

Lewis writes, "To question those tastes is to rock the cultural boat - a dangerous and unsettling act. All societies have a host of built-in mechanisms to punish threats and protect themselves against danger" (p. 7). Why is questioning taste dangerous and unsettling?

Because it challenges our cultural norms and our identity.

Discussion 1: In Mapping the Real Geography, Lopez writes that Americans know more about a national geography rather than a local geography. Why, according to Lopez, do we know our national geography better? What are some of the problems that could occur from a loss of a local geography?

Due to our national geography being emphasized in nationally produced and distributed textbooks, and marketing campaigns seeking to appeal to a broad national cultural identity. There are problems that arise from a loss of local geography, like exploitation of local resources, inability to live locally or sustainably, or vulnerability to natural disaster. Fracking in OK. We do not rely on our local network anymore (e.g. fishing).

J.B.Jackson

He was influential in broadening the perspective on the "vernacular" landscape."A rich and beautiful book is always open before us. We have but to learn to read it" (Landscape 1951). Landscapes can be understood as a reflection of human identity.

Life World Geography

In contrast to scientific and systematic geography. Experiential, Diverse, Specific (idiosyncratic)

Tastefree spaces

Plces where standards of taste are not invoked and are free of conscious design. Taste free spaces can be functional and utilitarian (garbage dump, coal mine, airport runway). They are where aesthetic values are considered to be out of bounds.

prairie style

Prairie houses were designed to blend in with the flat, prairie landscape.evoke the expansive Midwestern landscape. The buildings reflect an all-encompassing philosophy that Wright termed "Organic Architecture." By this Wright meant that architecture should be suited to its environment and be a product of its place, purpose and time

residual cultures

Residual cultures: historical cultures that have disappeared or in the process of fading away

Compare and contrast rationalism with romanticism. How do these two philosophies impact the landscapes that we see?

Roaticism: individual, patriotism addressed irrational behavior like emotions. Rationalism, trust your mind not your senses

Genius Loci

Technically meant the guardian spirit of a place - known as the local historian or geographer or person who documents or preserves the history and uniqueness of the place.

The accessible landscape: Jackson writes, "the road is a very powerful space; and unless it is handled very carefully and constantly watched, it can undermine and destroy the existing order" (p. 6). Using specific examples, explain what Jackson means by this statement.

Things come in, things go out. Small towns disappear. There is power in what is bypassed and what is not.

Usonian style

Usonia (/juːˈsoʊniə/) was a word used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings. Wright proposed the use of the adjective Usonian in place of American to describe the particular New World character of the American landscape as distinct and free of previous architectural conventions.

Tasteful Landscapes

While taste is subjective, this refers to the dominant hallmark of culture that can be ephemeral or fundamental within a given society. Places where society considers it normal to pass aesthetic judgement as to whether something is pretty or ugly.

Carl Sauer

an influential mid century American geographer from UCBerkeley, who is credited with coining the term 'cultural hearths'. "Culture is the agent, the natural area the medium, the cultural landscape is the result (1925)"

place annihilation

the willful destruction of a place - political strategy. One ideology systematically removes anothers ideology.

culture hegemony

when one social group dominates the social and cultural landscape

Describe the characteristics of utopian societies. Why do they exist?

They are a cultural

What role does the natural environment play in the creation of the cultural landscape? (You should be able to provide specific examples from class; think about constraints and modifications.)

"The cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural landscape by a cultural group. Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result" - Sauer Cultural values shape the landscape in dictating what will be preserved, what will be destroyed, and what will be highlighted or hidden. The decision as to whether to restore land in England to moors or forests is debated by environmentalists who seek to preserve a specific significant time period. The natural environment influences what will be grown and consumed (the type of soil), the building materials (Southwest adobe), the architecture (cold climates vs warm).

The Domestication of the Garage: Describe the evolution of the garage.

* Romantic garages are representative of the time when cars were a luxury item, to be maintained by mechanics and operated by chauffeurs. These structures were at times incorporated into preexisting stables and always kept away from the home for safety and sanitary reasons. * Practical garages were constructed for middle class families. These were stand-alone structures built without the need for mechanic or chauffeur living quarters. * Family garages were introduced primarily after WWII, and were for the first time attached to the home and facing the street instead of the alley. The size of the garage gradually increased to house two and even three vehicles as urban sprawl led to more and more families owning multiple vehicles. The modern garage has taken on the role of family living space as well as a place to store non-automobile related household goods.

Lecture 4: How do Lewis' axioms for reading the landscape help us interpret cultural landscapes? (Note that you do not have to discuss each axiom; instead, provide a brief overview of his ideas.)

They provide a framework for us to be able to dicuss and analyze taste.

Gyo Obata

Japanese American architect responsible for designing the original SIUE campus.

ethnic marker

Migrant or ethnic groups in particular areas that aesthetically project their cultural identity, which stands in sharp contrast to the dominant visual aesthetic.

Official Geography

The geography one learns in a classroom, non experiential, scientific.

Cultural Landscape

The interaction between a group of people and the natural environment; this interaction results in a distinctive and tangible landscape. In other words "this is world we have made." - Wallach "cultural properties [that] represent the combined works of nature and of man."

Fundamental Taste

The overarching aesthetic in a culture or society. One that dictates the dominant aesthetic or look

excluded cultures

cultures actively and passively excluded by the dominant culture

emergent cultures

cultures that are just appearing

vernacular landscapes

everyday landscapes - things that often are overlooked or unseen as they are considered unremarkable or uninteresting - our ordinary landscapes.

Discussion 2: Lewis refers to Russel Lynes 1949 essay on class and taste in America. Lynes identifies three levels of taste. Identify and define each of the three levels of taste.

low brow, middle brow, high brow. • Upperbrow is the smallest group, sets the standard of what is "good taste" and "in style," often perceived as the richest (although this is often not the case), not imitating any other group, change interests regularly enough that the middlebrow people cannot catch up • Middlebrow is the largest group, constantly trying to catch up to the trends set by the upperbrow (although they are unable to as the upperbrow change their style frequently, and because the upperbrow do not imitate) • Lowbrow is made up entirely of people who are unconcerned with other people's opinion of them, and, stylistically speaking, could not care less if the fads of the other two groups fell off of the face of the map. Lowbrow people are somewhat admired by the upperbrow for their carefree attitude

Ephemeral Taste

more rapid changing styles that are often dictated by trends.

How has the presence of minority/alternative cultures been minimized on the landscape? How have alternative cultures asserted their impact on the landscape?

movement of Indians to SW, the gehttoing of blacks, the absorption of ethnic markers into dominant culture. Graffiti, utopian landscapes,

Explain how the revitalization plan in Richmond illustrates a struggle to control the landscape.

places of conscious versus ways to bring revenue into a town.

Sense of Place

the bond between people and a place that is created over time, their perception and emotional reaction to their environment.