Studying Cultural Landscapes

The land in which we live both shapes us and we shape it: Physically, by means of cultivation and building, and imaginatively, by projecting onto it our aspirations and fantasies of wealth, refuge, well-being, awe, danger and consolidation. From the earliest civilizations, humans have exhibited a need to connect with the world around them by transforming land into landscapes.Studying Cultural Landscapes combines a collection of lively and engaging essays covering the symbolic reading of a wide variety of landscapes. It explores historical, cultural, political, visual and poetic perspectives, offering analyses of landscape forms from the rural to the celluloid.Written by a distinguished group of contributors and illustrated throughout, Studying Cultural Landscapes has been prepared with the undergraduate in mind. Each chapter contains a 'now do this' section to aid the reader working through the ideas presented, as well as providing a list for further reading. A comprehensive glossary offers explanations of the key terms used throughout the text.Studying Cultural Landscapes is essential reading for any student of cultural geography, as well as students taking related interdisciplinary subjects, who would like to explore the multiple meaning of landscape.