Experiences of Place and Space

Geographies of Geborgenheit: beyond feelings of safety and the fear of crime

by Jan Simon Hutta

published in 'Environment and Planning D: Society and Space', 2009

This paper critically engages with the concepts of `feelings of safety' and `fear of crime' as they have been deployed... more This paper critically engages with the concepts of `feelings of safety' and `fear of crime' as they have been deployed in recent politics of community safety. While the first part of the paper discusses the staging of what is referred to as a dispositif of safety, which discursively frames subjective ^ spatial relations in powerful ways, the second part moves towards an understanding of lived experiences of spaces and places that unfold within, but also beyond, the dispositif of safety. For this purpose, the German concept of Geborgenheit is introduced. For a theoretical elaboration of this concept,Walter Benjamin's work around experience and temporality is referred to and articulated with Deleuzian theory. An analysis of Geborgenheit, it is argued, displaces hegemonic notions of `safety' by addressing the dynamics that enable subjects to open up to and nest within a place. The paper concludes with a discussion of vignettes from a qualitative study in Berlin in order to exemplify the constitution of geographies of Geborgenheit in the context of recent safety politics.

Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology, spring 2011 issue (vol. 22, no. 2)

by David Seamon

Feature essays: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, spring 2011.

Feature essays in this issue... more Feature essays: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, spring 2011.

Feature essays in this issue of EAP focus on landscape restoration and real vs. virtual animal dissections. 

In the issue’s first essay, Canadian educator Norm Friesen demonstrates how a phenomenological perspective contributes to understanding the lived differences between real and virtual realities. He focuses on laboratory vs. digitally-simulated animal dissections and draws on the ideas of Heideggerian philosopher Albert Borgmann to locate some of the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of reality-based vs. hyperreal modes of learning.

In the issue’s second feature essay, retired Australian educator John Cameron writes a sixth “letter” from his rural home on Tasmania’s Bruny Island. His focus is the ecological restoration of some 50 acres of overgrazed paddocks, and the difficulties and satisfactions, both philosophical and practical, which arise from his decision to return the land to its “natural state.”

Back issues of EAP are now available at:

www.krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/1522

David Seamon
Editor, EAP

working with subject of Holocaust. Experience and narrative of museum guides - comparative study in Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site and State Museum in Poland, and the Yad Vashem Institute in Israel

by Julia Maria Koszewska

presented in Berlin on International Symposium „Perceptions of the Holocaust and Contemporary Antisemitism" [http://iibsa.org/cms/index.php?id=83&L=1]

In pursuit of experience: The postindustrial gentrification of the rural American West

by J. Dwight Hines

Contemporary rural gentrification – the colonization of rural communities and small-towns by members of the ex-urban... more Contemporary rural gentrification – the colonization of rural communities and small-towns by members of the ex-urban middle class – is a nationwide phenomenon that contradicts nearly two centuries of US urbanization. While previous research primarily describes such counter-urbanization as representing a profound divergence from previous patterns (i.e. urbanization, mass production/consumption, etc.), I contend that rural gentrification is best understood as the product of both continuity and change relative to the ideas/practices of Modernity and current postindustrialization. Based on ethnographic research conducted in a community in south central Montana, I present evidence that the choice by middle-class newcomers to migrate to the rural US is simultaneously the product of: 1) the continued efficacy of the Modern ideals of authenticity and progress; and 2) their aspirations to distinguish themselves as members of an emerging class faction – the postindustrial middle class (PIMC)– through their emphasis upon the production and consumption of experiences.

The Post-Industrial Regime of Production/Consumption and the Rural Gentrification of the New West Archipelago

by J. Dwight Hines

The contemporary American West is undergoing a round of rapid restructuring, which has been characterized as the shift... more The contemporary American West is undergoing a round of rapid restructuring, which has been characterized as the shift from landscapes of production to landscapes of consumption. Here I propose that a more effective description of current changes, which allows us to retain focus on the relevant inter- and intra-class-based dynamics of an ongoing capitalist-Modernity, is as a result of the transition from the prior dominance of a regime of production/consumption of commodities/natural-resources to the increasing ascendancy of the production/consumption of “experiences.” The rising dominance of this regime is, in large part, the result of the locally dramatic in-migration by ex-urban members of the post-industrial middle class to the “amenity-rich” counties of the region. This process of rural gentrification exacerbates preexisting social, geographic, and environmental disparities within the region creating an “archipelago” of changing communities commonly referred to as the “New” West. Drawing on almost two years of ethnographic research from one such “island” community in south-central Montana, I describe local-level change between the relative primacy of the two regimes of production/consumption.

The just-add-water Holocaust experience. Creating instant historical experiences in Holocaust museums and memorials with authentic historical objects.

by Katie Digan

The idea that history needs to be felt or experienced in order to be learned or remembered has increasingly been... more The idea that history needs to be felt or experienced in order to be learned or remembered has increasingly been popping up in current day Holocaust memorials and museums. A key element in this kind of representation of the past is the use of ‘authentic’ artifacts, objects that -by virtue of their ‘having been there’- not only present evidence of the past, but also function as tangible leftovers of that past. Because historical artifacts are, quite literally, pieces of the past that are present in the present, they are often believed to have special status, or what Aleida Assmann has called Magie der Dinge. In this piece, I will take a closer look at this Magie by analyzing the status of historical artifacts using Walter Benjamin’s writings on ‘aura’. I will show that authentic objects do not radiate a story into the present but need to be placed in a narrative in order to make sense. Secondly, I will look at the narrative of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and way in which authentic artifacts are used to attempt to give visitors an experience of the past. Finally, I will argue that purposely creating a ‘direct’ experience of the Holocaust is not only impossible, but that it is also undesirable.

Identità, luogo, comunità

by Cristina Balma Tivola

2010, unprinted, licensed under CC3.0.

An anthropological observation of space and place, and of the sense of 'belonging' connected to what we call 'home'. An anthropological observation of space and place, and of the sense of 'belonging' connected to what we call 'home'.

Awareness and Reunion: A Phenomenology of the Person-World Relationship as Portrayed in the New York Photographs of André Kertész

by David Seamon

originally published in Leo Zonn, ed. Place Images in Media (Savage, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1990), pp. 31-61.

This essay examines, from a phenomenological perspective, the New York photographs of André Kertész (1894 1985), one... more This essay examines, from a phenomenological perspective, the New York photographs of André Kertész (1894 1985), one of the great pioneers of modern photography. In one sense, Kertész's photographs are an implicit phenomenological record because they portray the fabric, style and tenor of the lifeworld—the ordinary, tacit pattern and elements of life's everydayness, normally taken for granted but given direct scholarly attention in phenomenology.

My aim is twofold: first, to examine the underlying qualities of the lifeworld suggested by Kertész's photographs, especially the way they illustrate lived immersion in the world; and, second, to identify phenomenologically the underlying pattern and process that sustains the vividness and power of Kertész's lifeworld presentations.

First, I discuss the phenomenological interpretation of the person world relationship, drawing particularly on philosopher Martin Heidegger's picture of human-immersion-in-world.

Second, I examine several Kertész photographs to illustrate variations of this person-environment immersion. Third, using Heidegger's notions of "readiness to hand" versus "presence to hand" and "belonging together" versus "belonging together," I seek to understand phenomenologically the underlying dynamics that make Kertész's photographs so powerful.

Key words: André Kertész, phenomenology, photography, belonging, wholeness, place, New York City photographs

Die Stadt als Ganzes und als materieller Gegenstand. Physis Stadt Tirana – ein methodologisches Experiment.

by Joanna Kusiak

Place, Place Identity, and Phenomenology

by David Seamon

A chapter in The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of the Built Environment, Hernan Casakin, Ombretta Romice, & Sergio Porta, editors. London: Betham Science Publishers, 2011. © 2011 David Seamon.

As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic... more As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic 2000), the phenomenon of place is a multivalent structure sophisticated and complex in its existential constitution. In this chapter, I offer one phenomenological vantage point from which to examine this lived complexity. I contend that, as an integral structure of human life, place can be understood in terms of three dimensions: first, the geographical ensemble—i.e., the material environment, including both its natural and human-made dimensions; second, people-in-place, including individual and group actions, intentions, and meanings; and, third, spirit of place, or genius loci.

Drawing on the conceptual approach of “systematics” developed by the British philosopher J. G. Bennett, I argue that these three dimensions can engage in six different ways, each of which relates to one particular lived mode whereby place contributes to human life. These six modes are: (1) place interaction; (2) place identity; (3) place creation; (4) place intensification; (5) place realization; and (6) place release.

I argue that place identity is important for understanding the nature of place but is complemented by other modes of relationship that together help clarify the complexity and richness of place and place experience.

Merleau-Ponty, Perception, and Environmental Embodiment: Implications for Architectural and Environmental Studies

by David Seamon

chapter prepared for Carnal Echoes: Merleau-Ponty and the Flesh of Architecture, Rachel McCann and Patricia M. Locke, editors, forthcoming, 2012 or 2013. © David Seamon 2010.

In this chapter, I draw on Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy to explore environmental embodiment—the various lived ways,... more In this chapter, I draw on Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy to explore environmental embodiment—the various lived ways, sensorily and motility-wise, that the body in its pre-reflective perceptual presence engages and synchronizes with the world at hand, especially its architectural and environmental aspects. First, I consider Merleau-Ponty’s interpretation of perception, giving particular attention to his claim that perception involves a lived dynamic between perceptual body and world such that aspects of the world—for example, the heavy hardness of a granite block or the cool smoothness of a chrome railing—are known because they immediately evoke in the lived body their experienced qualities.

Second, I consider the architectural and environmental significance of what Merleau-Ponty calls body-subject—pre-reflective corporeal awareness expressed through action and typically in sync with and enmeshed in the physical world in which the action unfolds. I focus on the taken-for-granted sensibility of body-subject to manifest in extended ways over time and space. I ask how routine actions and behaviors of individuals coming together regularly in an environment can transform that environment into a place with a unique dynamic and character—a lived situation I term place ballet. For both perception and body-subject, I consider how qualities of the physical and designable world—for example, materiality, form, and spatiality—contribute to the lived body’s engagement with and actions in the world.

Disaster and the Irrationality of" Rational" Bureaucracy: Daily Life and the Continuing Struggles in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

by Tim Haney

On Pause and Duration, or: The Design of Heritage Experience

by Elisa Giaccardi

BCS HCI Conference 2011, July 6-8, Newcastle, UK.

This paper investigates ‘pause’ and ‘duration’ as conceptual resources to expand current design approaches to place,... more This paper investigates ‘pause’ and ‘duration’ as conceptual resources to expand current design approaches to place, technology, and experience in museums to the extended temporality of heritage practice. The author strives to understand ‘through design’ how we come to value objects, places and events through multiple and repeated interactions. In doing so, the author contributes to expand the boundaries of interaction design beyond individuals acting ‘in the moment’ (pause) to individuals and communities participating ‘across time’ (duration) in the cultural production of memory and identity.

A Tale of Two Castles: An anthropological investigation of castles as constructed places with changing senses through the contextualization and analysis of le Château d’Angers, le Château de Josselin, and their intertwined human histories.

by Rachel Carpenter

A Senior Thesis in Anthropology, submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College in April of 2011.

Sensation for Sensation's Sake: Affect and the Temptation of 'Wow!'

by Gauti Sigthorsson

Published in Icelandic and English in Sjónauki no. 3, 2008. Republished in Alba.nu (Sweden), 2009

A short essay on experiential art, boating with Gelitin, bouncing with Thomas Saraceno, and going down very very fast... more A short essay on experiential art, boating with Gelitin, bouncing with Thomas Saraceno, and going down very very fast with Christian Höller. And non-representational theory and affect at the Hayward Gallery, Tate Modern, with a detour to the Croydon IKEA.

Barker, M., Richards, C. & Bowes-Catton, H. (forthcoming 2012). Visualising experience: Using creative research methods with members of sexual communities. In C. Phellas (Ed.) Researching Non-Heterosexual Sexualities. Farnham: Ashgate

by Helen Bowes-Catton

Due to be published October 2012

Bowes-Catton, H. Barker, M., Richards, C., (2011) ‘Using visual methods to study the embodied experiences of members of sexual communities’ in Reavey, P. (ed) 2011: Visual Psychologies: Using and interpreting images in qualitative research London: Routledge.

by Helen Bowes-Catton

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.

The ‘Chaosmotic’ and Entropic Situations of Contemporary Art Museums

by Deniz Balik

Published in the JOURNAL OF APPLIED FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 400-408.

Architecture and art are built upon complexity and inexhaustibility, producing overlapped levels of complex contrasts... more Architecture and art are built upon complexity and inexhaustibility, producing overlapped levels of complex contrasts which make each other perceptible through a
network relationship in dialectic way. In this sense, there can be more than one chaos, a composition of chaos, which Deleuze had named as chaosmos, neither foreseen nor preconceived.

It becomes problematic that the museum space becomes a chaosmos, where contrasting concepts form an ambiguity like an open work, which opens up to myriad possibilities of perception and experience, leading to the concept of Entropy. Therefore, chaos turns to be a consciously produced and pleasingly approved concept.

Having, and Being Had By, “Experience” Or, “Experience” in the Social Sciences After the Discursive/ Poststructuralist Turn

by Cristyn Davies

Co-authored with Bronwyn Davies. Qualitative Inquiry, vol. 13, no.8, 2007, pp.1139-1159.