Culture and Place

Violence sits in places? Cultural practice, neoliberal rationalism, and virulent imaginative geographies

by Simon Springer

Springer, S. 2011. Violence sits in places? Cultural practice, neoliberal rationalism, and virulent imaginative geographies. Political Geography. 30 (2), 90-98.

Through imaginative geographies that erase the interconnectedness of the places where violence occurs, the notion that... more Through imaginative geographies that erase the interconnectedness of the places where violence occurs, the notion that violence is 'irrational' marks particular cultures as ‘other’. Neoliberalism exploits such imaginative geographies in constructing itself as the sole providence of nonviolence and the lone bearer of reason. Proceeding as a ‘civilizing’ project, neoliberalism positions the market as salvationary to putatively ‘irrational’ and ‘violent’ peoples. This theology of neoliberalism produces a discourse that binds violence in place. But while violence sits in places in terms of the way in which we perceive its manifestation as a localized and embodied experience, this very idea is challenged when place is reconsidered as a relational assemblage. What this re-theorization does is open up the supposed fixity, separation, and immutability of place to instead recognize it as always co-constituted by, mediated through, and integrated within the wider experiences of space. Such a radical rethinking of place fundamentally transforms the way we understand violence. No longer confined to its material expression as an isolated and localized event, violence can more appropriately be understood as an unfolding process, derived from the broader geographical phenomena and temporal patterns of the social world.

Understanding community values in planning for a conservation strategy

by Kamarul Bahrain Shuib

This PhD thesis is located at the University of South Australia library.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether community landscape values could be used in... more Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether community landscape values could be used in conservation strategy planning.

The significance of rural landscape as cultural heritage has to do with how people perceive or value them. However, very little is known about the variability among cultures in the perception of such landscapes. Due to increasing threat by land and technological development, an understanding of their perception by people associated with them will aid in the formulation of strategies for rural landscape conservation and their integration into broad patterns of use.

Thus, this study was aimed at understanding perceived landscape values held by communities of interest in Malaysia. Specifically, it focused on understanding how two different groups of stakeholders characterised landscape values. Using Q-Methodology it examined their socio-cultural construction of rural landscape and how those constructions defined their values and meanings, from individual and group viewpoints.

A non-random sample of local residents from four villages in Kedah, a northern state in Peninsular Malaysia categorised for this purpose as insiders was compared with government servants, domestic and overseas tourists as outsiders. The respondents were shown photographs of landscape settings as representations of the rural landscape. They were asked to sort the photographs from most valued to least valued landscapes and asked to clarify their selection in a detailed interview.

There was a distinct difference in the way insiders and outsiders perceived rural landscapes. The local residents as insiders valued their place to earn a living while outsiders chose places that were used for recreation, culture and nature space. While there were significant differences in landscape values between the residents and visitors there were also similarities in values held by both groups. Scenery, ecological systems and sustainable development were shared values held by both insiders and outsiders.

Thus, it is concluded that policy should recognise the differences and similarities in landscape values held by the public in conservation planning and management. The research shows that both tangible and intangible properties of rural landscapes are highly valued by people.

Cultural landscape values of a rural landscape: perception of outsiders and tourists.

by Kamarul Bahrain Shuib

The purpose of this paper is to present landscape values of a rural landscape perceived by outsiders and tourists. The... more The purpose of this paper is to present landscape values of a rural landscape perceived by outsiders and tourists. The significance of rural landscapes as cultural heritage is dependent upon how people perceive them. Yet, very little is known about rural landscape perception. Because of increasing threats to rural landscapes by climate change and land development, an understanding of landscape perception will aid in the planning for landscape conservation strategies. A study was undertaken to map landscape values held by outsiders and tourists about a rural landscape in a northern Malaysian state, south of Thailand. The perceptions of the outsiders and tourists were studied using Qmethodology with photographs of the landscape. The outsiders and tourists were concerned in preserving landscapes that has recreational values, ecological and natural meanings, historical heritage and socio-cultural experiences. The analysis of rural landscape perceptions demonstrated a critical need to understand the makeup of rural landscape for better planning in heritage landscape conservation. This is because if a rural landscape is to have any significance as a cultural heritage, the authority needs to understand what makes rural landscape special and valuable. Perceptions of people give meanings to a place. Policy should recognise the perception of landscape values held by outsiders and tourists in conservation planning. The research shows that both tangible and intangible properties of rural landscapes are highly valued.