- Summary
- Contents
- Subject index
Doing Cultural Geography is an introduction to cultural geography that integrates theoretical discussion with applied examples. The emphasis throughout is on doing. Recognizing that many undergraduates have difficulty with both theory and methods courses, the text demystifies the ‘theory’ informing cultural geography and encourages students to engage directly with theory in practice. It emphasizes what can be done with humanist, Marxist, poststructuralist, feminist, and postcolonial theory, demonstrating that this is the best way to prompt students to engage with the otherwise daunting theoretical literature.
Chapter 12: Reading Texts
Reading Texts
An important part of any cultural system is the construction and consumption of texts. It has become conventional, in the manner of Ricoeur (1978), to extend the term ‘text’ beyond print on paper to apply to anything with a degree of permanence that communicates meaning. One can, therefore, ‘read’ a landscape, an urban design, a building, the appearance of a room, a film, a painting, a TV advertisement, a news broadcast, documentary or a soap opera just as well as one can read a book, a leaflet or a map. One can similarly ‘read’ a spectacular event, an exhibition, a performance or ritual. Implicit in the idea of reading is the assumption that one is making sense out of something experienced: for ...
- Loading...
