Landscape is a vital, synergistic concept which opens up ways of thinking about many of the problems which beset our contemporary world, such as climate change, social alienation, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and destruction of heritage. As a concept, landscape does not respect disciplinary boundaries. Indeed, many academic disciplines have found the concept so important, it has been used as a qualifier that delineates whole sub-disciplines: landscape ecology, landscape planning, landscape archaeology, and so forth. In other cases, landscape studies progress under a broader banner, such as heritage studies or cultural geography. Yet it does not always mean the same thing in all of these contexts. The Routledge Companion to Landscape Studies offers the first comprehensive attempt to explore research directions into the many uses and meanings of 'landscape'.
The Companion contains thirty-nine original contributions from leading scholars within the field, which have been divided into four parts: Experiencing Landscape; Landscape Culture and Heritage; Landscape, Society and Justice; and Design and Planning for Landscape. Topics covered range from phenomenological approaches to landscape, to the consideration of landscape as a repository of human culture; from ideas of identity and belonging, to issues of power and hegemony; and from discussions of participatory planning and design to the call for new imaginaries in a time of global and environmental crisis.Each contribution explores the future development of different conceptual and theoretical approaches, as well as recent empirical contributions to knowledge and understanding. Collectively, they encourage dialogue across disciplinary barriers and reflection upon the implications of research findings for local, national and international policy in relation to landscape.?
This Companion provides up-to-date critical reviews of state of the art perspectives across this multifaceted field, embracing disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, cultural studies, geography, landscape planning, landscape architecture, countryside management, forestry, heritage studies, ecology, and fine art.It serves as an invaluable point of reference for scholars, researchers and graduate students alike, engaging in the field of landscape studies.
"This is a marvellous collection of critical essays which captures the complex interactions we have with landscape; written by leaders in the field it encourages us to reflect on how we perceive, inhabit, manage and belong to landscapes, how they can delight and affect us through their interwoven narratives. The multiple perspectives provided here will enlighten and fascinate anyone interested in this multifaceted field." Professor Peter Davis, School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University.
"This diverse and richly textured collection offers a kaleidoscope of landscape understanding-each essay glistening with insight, reflecting and refracting the other contributions. The companion will be a valued resource for landscape scholars and students across a range of disciplines, and is a welcome synthesis of recent thinking about the complex but vital phenomenon of landscape." Professor Simon Swaffield, School of Landscape Architecture, Lincoln University, New Zealand.
"The book does present state-of-the-art information on landscape studies, particularly when it comes to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and it is very persuasive in order to make us realize that in order to go forward, a trans-disciplinary approach is needed. The most pressing ideas are relevant for any non-European country and for any administrative European landscape family: pragmatism and a claim for a closer connection between theory and practice; against Eurocentrism and UK-centrism in landscape studies; landscape as an everyday value and expression of social justice; and the use of the peri-urban concept in order to achieve a city/country symmetry." Diana Soeiro, Metapsychology Book Reviews
