Tree Cultures: The Place of Trees and Trees in Their PlaceThe relationship between nature and culture has become a popular focus in social science, but there have been few grounded accounts of trees. Providing shelter, fuel, food and tools, trees have played a vital role in human life from the earliest times, but their role in symbolic expression has been largely overlooked. For example, trees are often used to express nationalistic feelings. Germans drew heavily on tree and forest imagery in nation-building, and the idea of 'hearts of oak' has been central to concepts of English identity. Classic scenes of ghoulish trees coming to life and forests closing in on unsuspecting passers-by commonly feature in the media. In other instances, trees are used to represent paradisical landscapes and symbolize the ideologies of conservation and concern for nature.Offering new theoretical ideas, this book looks at trees as agents that co-constitute places and cultures in relationship with human agency. What happens when trees connect with human labour, technology, retail and consumption systems? What are the ethical dimensions of these connections? The authors discuss how trees can affect and even define notions of place, and the ways that particular places are recognized culturally. Working trees, companion trees, wild trees and collected or conserved trees are considered in relation to the dynamic politics of conservation and development that affect the values given to trees in the contemporary world.Building on the growing field of landscape study, this book offers rich insights into the symbolic and practical roles of trees. It will be vital reading for anyone interested in the anthropology of landscape, forestry, conservation and development, and for those concerned with the social science of nature. |
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Tree Cultures: The Place of Trees and Trees in Their Place Paul Cloke,Owain Jones Limited preview - 2020 |
Tree Cultures: The Place of Trees and Trees in Their Place Paul Cloke,Owain Jones Limited preview - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
actants action Actor Network Actor Network Theory agency of trees animals anthropocentric apple arbori-culture areas argue Arnos Vale cemetery batches become bricolage Bristol Britain Camerton Chapter complex conceptual concern conifers conservation consider context Council creative cultural constructions deep ecology deployed discourses discussed distinct dynamic ecological embedded emphasize environment environmental example Forestry Forestry Commission forests formations gardens geography habitat heritage human and non-human hybrid imaginative important individual trees Ingold living Macnaghten and Urry material modern monitoring and surveillance narrative nature nature-society relations non-human agency notion of dwelling ongoing orchard Owain Jones particular places perspective places and landscapes planted practices precautionary principle processes production relational agency relational ethics resistance role seen significant social society Somerset Somerset coalfield space spatial specific spoil heaps suggest symbolic taskscape Thrift timescapes transformative tree-places understanding urban Victoria Square West Bradley Whatmore woodland woods