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The habitus, the rule and the moral landscape

The habitus, the rule and the moral landscape Human interaction with the environment, particularly when the latter is conceived asnature, is often measured against moral standards for ‘appropriatebehaviour’. Different, and frequently conflicting, ways ofbeing-in-the-world are the theme of moral geographies. This paper seeks to elucidatethe relation between morality, landscape and environmental practice by focusing upona particular Scandinavian case. The Jæren district on the south-westerncoast of Norway has become one of the most intensively farmed areas in the country,undergoing radical changes causing contemporary farmers to become subject to moralcondemnation from a wide range of bodies and people. The paper argues that in orderto understand how the culture-nature relationship reflects and produces moraljudgements there is a need to investigate how the production and meaning of a livedlandscape becomes a moral landscape. Two questions are addressed: What is the‘nature’ of the moral geographies in the area? How do differing‘moral geographies’ affect the land and its perception aslandscape? Understanding the moral landscape of the Jæren district allowsus to identify the dialectics and contradictions inherent in the production of thelandscape, and the ways rules and regulations for appropriate behaviour are theresult of these contradictions. By adopting Bourdieu‘s notion of habitus,we are able to capture how such rules work and how they shape the landscape. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Cultural Geographies SAGE

The habitus, the rule and the moral landscape

Setten, Gunhild
Cultural Geographies , Volume 11 (4): 27 – Oct 1, 2004
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References (36)

Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
Copyright © by SAGE Publications
ISSN
1474-4740
eISSN
1477-0881
DOI
10.1191/1474474004eu309oa
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Human interaction with the environment, particularly when the latter is conceived asnature, is often measured against moral standards for ‘appropriatebehaviour’. Different, and frequently conflicting, ways ofbeing-in-the-world are the theme of moral geographies. This paper seeks to elucidatethe relation between morality, landscape and environmental practice by focusing upona particular Scandinavian case. The Jæren district on the south-westerncoast of Norway has become one of the most intensively farmed areas in the country,undergoing radical changes causing contemporary farmers to become subject to moralcondemnation from a wide range of bodies and people. The paper argues that in orderto understand how the culture-nature relationship reflects and produces moraljudgements there is a need to investigate how the production and meaning of a livedlandscape becomes a moral landscape. Two questions are addressed: What is the‘nature’ of the moral geographies in the area? How do differing‘moral geographies’ affect the land and its perception aslandscape? Understanding the moral landscape of the Jæren district allowsus to identify the dialectics and contradictions inherent in the production of thelandscape, and the ways rules and regulations for appropriate behaviour are theresult of these contradictions. By adopting Bourdieu‘s notion of habitus,we are able to capture how such rules work and how they shape the landscape.

Journal

Cultural Geographies – SAGE

Published: Oct 1, 2004

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