1. Session 5: Theoretical approaches to the
geography of culture and environment – Part 1
Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia
Norton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and
Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills.
Readings: Chapter 3 of Norton – Humanism; Behavioral
Geographies; Marxism.
September 19, 2013
Theoretical approaches to questions in the
geography of culture and environment that
challenged the landscape school:
1. Humanism (video & discussion)
2. Behavioral Geographies
3. Marxism

2. Humanism
“to treat humans objectively would be to treat them as objects and
most as thinking, feeling individuals” (Norton, 2005, pg. 71)
3 aspects of humanistic approach:
1) Humans are ontologically (reality) and epistemologically
(knowledge) irreducible;
2) Focus on human experience and symbolic expression
(acknowledges many different truths);
3) Respect for individuals freedom and dignity.

3. Humanism
Human phenomena should not be hypothesized
 instead should be described  meanings explored (lifeworld)
3 principal humanistic interests:
1) Phenomenology: focus on the lived/experienced world (rejection
of the “objective reality” outside of human expience)
2) Existentialism: concern with human being/existence
3) Idealism: phenomena only important when part of human
consciousness (the importance of thoughts behind actions)
* a significant focus on the individual and human autonomy

4. New item / thought provoking item of the day
Example of the humanism in research:
Honor the Treaties - directed by Eric Becker
http://www.reelhouse.org/becker/honortreaties/honortreaties

5. Questions for discussion
1. What was it about Aaron’s/Sheppard approach that was
humanistic?
2. What did Aaron/Sheppard do that was outside of the norms for
creating “unbiased” research?
3. How did Aaron/Sheppard understand and frame/interpret poverty
and class in relation to the Lakota Sioux of the Pine Ridge
Reservation?
Instructions:
• Work as a group of 3 or 4 and answer the questions;
• Take approximately 5 minutes to answer each question;
• Designate a note taker and one person to respond to each
question

6. Topophilia: love of place
Sense of place: emotional underpinning attached to place
*will explore this concept further with MyaWheerlerWiens
Placelessness: not a useful concept – if a place can be identified it
will have meaning to someone
Photo credit: Darlene Mazzone

7. Behavioural Geographies
Structuralism: analyses of the minds parts or structures

8. Functionalism: understood in terms of ongoing thought process
responsible for learning; influenced by Darwin’s evolutionary
theory; focused on the subjective experience
mental states are constituted solely by their functional role
– not so much about individual perception

9. Space and behaviour:
•behaviour = observable
activities in general (study of
patterns; came from spatial
analysis field)
•ignores aspects like
creativity, freedom, and
dignity (instead sees humans
as optimizers of opportunity –
economic theory)
•focuses on the cognitive –
such as perception
2 Models for Behavioural Geographies
Place and behaviour:
•humanist concerns:
psychological concepts like
mental maps & the subjective /
perceived experience
•Husserl - important to
understand structure &
meaning (not just scientific
interpretation)
•perspective resulting in the
action is important

10. Research of place and behaviour
Exploration of topic exhaustibly
Classify and compare different accounts
Summarize the results

11. The Problem with inference

12. Marxism
3 concepts in Marx’s Social Theory:
1) Identification of human society types and historical
context
2) Transition from one type of society to another
3) Analysis of 19th Century capitalism
"Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by
sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it
sucks.”
- Karl Marx, Das Kapital (Volume I, Chapter 10)

13. Forces of production: produce goods
Relation of production: economic structure of society
Society
1. Identification of human society types
Infrastructure: relations of production
Superstructure: legal and political system
determinism

14. 2. Transition from one type of society to another
Dominant class will try to maintain the current system

15. South Africa
Distribution of wealth following
the end of apartheid
Canada
The Indian Act
Also know as structural violence (Galtung, 1969)
 a way of understanding why disparities persist!
Soweto Atiwapiskat

16. 3. Analysis of 19th Century capitalism

17. Marxist philosophy in action
•Labour movements: unions and strikes
•Socialism: cooperative management of property
•Communism: social organization based on the holding of all property
in common
*often manifests as a totalitarian regime
*This is what Marx predicted and is the problematic nature of
any political philosophy
**With regards to cultural geography  major contribution is
the recognition of the role of politics