Deviant Landscapes: A Journey to Exotic and Imaginary Places and Spaces

Description

Deviant landscapes can be physical, or digital or outright fictitious. Whatever their nature or context, they do not conform to normality. Deviant landscapes can be encountered on the face of the earth, on computer screens, in people's minds. This anthology presents varying perspectives on deviant landscapes, widening the theoretical framework of spatial-and-landscape research by delving into the hitherto almost uncharted realm of deviant landscapes in a way that is missing in the academic literature. It exposes a variety of perspectives on deviant landscapes, from disparate scientific domains (i.e. geography, literary studies, sociology, game studies, cultural studies) and delivers useful insights into the diverse theoretical approaches that can be adopted to examine such landscapes (neopragmatist, social constructivist, scientometric, art theoretical etc.). Contents Introduction An Introduction to “Deviant Landscapes—A Journey to Exotic and Imaginary Places and Spaces” 1 Why “Deviant Landscapes”? 2 Chapters and Contributions—An Outline 3 Final Remarks References Basic Considerations ‘Deviant Landscapes’—A Neopragmatist Approach 1 Introduction 2 Neopragmatism—Some Basic Features 3 Scientific Understandings of Landscape—A Classification 4 A Neopragmatist Approach to Landscape 5 Deviance—Some Basic Considerations 6 Deviant Landscapes—A Neopragmatist Classification in Place of a Conclusion References Exotic, Imaginary and Futuristic Spaces: A Scientometric Analysis 1 Introduction 2 Methods and Data 3 Results 3.1 Imaginary Geographies 3.2 Exotic Spaces 3.3 Future Geographies and Futuristic Spaces 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion References Exotic and Imaginary Geographical Spaces Archiving and Analyzing Imaginary Geographical Spaces 1 Introduction 2 Methods and Data 3 Results 4 Conclusions References Finding Middle-Earth in New Zealand 1 Introduction: Welcome to New Zealand—Home of Middle-Earth 2 Theoretical and methodological reflections: A social constructivist perspective on landscape and media, and the role of phenomenology to trace deviances 2.1 Landscape from a social constructivist perspective 2.2 Films as agents of landscape production and reproduction 2.3 Reflections on the deviance of ‘real’ and ‘reel’ landscapes 2.4 Phenomenology as a methodological approach to analysing deviant landscapes 3 The Lord of the Rings and its special relation to landscape 4 Hybrid and deviant relations of Middle-Earth landscapes and New Zealand landscapes 5 Conclusion: Landscape pastiches and deviances References Flat Earthers: Conspiracy Theory Justification and Worldview Dissemination via Social Media Platform X 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Classifications 2.1 The Actual Complexity of Conspiracy Theories 2.2 Karl Popper’s ‘Critical Rationalism’ and Conspiracy Theories 3 The Flat Earth (Society) and Its Followers 4 Methodological Reflection 4.1 The Functionalism and the Actual Significance of Media Analysis 4.2 Qualitative Content Analysis by Philip Mayring 4.3 Analyzing Flat Earth User on X (and Results) 5 ‘Flat Earth’, ‘Critical Rationalism’, and the Social Media Platform X—A Result References The Scramble for Europe 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Framework 2.1 Constructivist Approaches to Landscape 2.2 Contingency and Landscape 3 Historical Status Quo 3.1 Prerequisites of European Colonization 3.2 African Empires 3.3 Motives for Colonialism 4 Assumptions and Research Question 5 Methodological Approach 6 The Colonization of Europe 6.1 First Stage: The Beginning of Colonization (1415–1550) 6.2 Second Stage: Progressing Colonization (1551–1700) 6.3 Third Stage: End of Imperialistic Phase and the Distribution of Europe (1701–1881) 7 Conclusion References Deviant Landscapes in Literature Landscapes of Hades as Described in Homer and Plato 1 Introduction 2 Geography of the Underworld in Odyssey 2.1 Topography of the Underworld as Mentioned in Circe’s Instructions to Odysseus in Rhapsody 10 2.2 Journeying to the Underworld: Landscapes in Nekyia 3 The Underworld and Heavenly Places in the Mythical Stories of the Platonic Dialogues 3.1 The Hereafter in Phaedo 3.2 The Hereafter in the Myth of Er in Republic 4 Conclusions References Change Has Marked the Face of All Things: The Problematic Landscapes of Thomas Hardy 1 Introduction 2 Problematic Landscape 3 Landscape as Cruelly Indifferent 4 Landscape as Deceiver 5 Perception in Play 6 Depicted Landscape 7 Abstraction 8 Impressions 9 Conclusion References Atmospheric Narrative Landscape, Stimmung and Place-Making in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Silence—A Fable” 1 Introduction: Towards a Structural Model of Literary Architectures 2 Inhabited Landscape, Stimmung and Place-Making: A Conceptual Entanglement 3 Analysis of the Place-Making Mechanism in Edgar Allan Poe’s Silence—A Fable 3.1 Literary Places and Semantic Status 3.2 Beyond Symbolism—A Holistic Sensory Apparatus 3.3 Understanding Literary Places—A Structural Method of Analysis 3.4 Summary of Poe’s Short Prose Poem 3.5 The Topographical Level of Silence—A Fable 3.6 The Atmospheric Narrative Landscape of Poe’s Silence 4 Conclusions References Utopias and Transformative Social Visions Deviant Landscapes in the French Banlieues 1 Introduction: Deviant Urban Landscapes in France 2 Deviant Urban Landscapes 3 The Development of the French Banlieues and their Association with Unrest 3.1 The Banlieues—Concept and Development 3.2 Riots—A Recurring Phenomenon 3.3 The Banlieues in Film: The Power of Stereotypes—Real and Unreal Images of Deviance 4 The Other Face of the Banlieues: Changing Life Perceptions Along the canal de l’Ourcq 5 Concluding Summary and Outlook References An Actor-Network Theory Analysis of the Socio-Spatial Landscape of Tübingen 1 Introduction 2 An Introduction to the Urban Landscape of Tübingen 3 Actor-Network Theory 4 A Mix of Qualitative Methods 5 The Actor-Network of the Socio-Spatial Landscape of Tübingen 6 Tracing Actors in the Network 7 The Translation Process: Oat Milk Cappuccino 8 Conclusion References Unveiling Utopia, a Critical Analysis: The Futuristic City Filtered Through Right to the City 1 Introduction 2 Thematic Framing 3 Theoretical Framework 3.1 Theoretical Embeddedness in Critical Geography 3.2 Understanding the Right to the City 4 Methodological Approach 4.1 Quantitative Image Analysis 4.2 Qualitative Content Analysis 4.3 Reflection on the Research 5 Elements of the Futuristic City 5.1 Material Structure of the Futuristic City 5.2 Immaterial Structure of the Futuristic City 6 The Cityscape Through the Lens of Right to the City 7 Conclusion References Unravelling the Thread of Equality in the Utopias of William Morris and Edward A. Johnson 1 Introduction 2 Morris’s and Johnson’s Utopian Worlds in Their Historical Context 3 The Unslaved Character of Spaces 3.1 Spaces of Education 3.2 Spaces of Politics 3.3 Spaces of Work and Production 3.4 Spaces of Art and Culture 4 Conclusion References Towards a Digital Eutopia: Relational Creativity and Radical Diversity 1 Introduction 2 Creativity In-Between Material Reality and Digital Hyperreality 3 The Interplay of Authenticity and Diversity as Creative Forms of (Hyper-)Realities 4 Conclusion References The Material Manifestation of Deviant Landscape—A Model Railroad Self-Experiment 1 Start: Introduction 2 Through Station 1: The Construction of Deviant Landscapes—Some Basic Theoretical Considerations 3 Through Station 2: Landscapes and Model Railroads—Of Stereotypes and Distinctions 4 Station Terminal: Deviant Model Railroad Landscape—Considerations and Manifestations 5 (Interim) Destination and Station Terminal: Conclusion as an Expansion of Contingent Landscape Constructions References Cockaigne and ‘Land of Milk and Honey’—A Paradox and Symbolisation of a (Packaged) Tourism Mediocrity 1 Introduction 2 Deviance in Tourism Discussions 3 ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ and Its Biblical and Historical Context 4 Cockaigne in Art, Literature and Contemporary Society 5 Religious Tourism to the Promised Land 6 Elements of Cockaigne in Tourism Marketing 7 Luxury Travel—The Opposite of Cockaigne 8 Packaged Travel and Cruise Tourism—A Tourism Cockaigne 9 Conclusion References All ‘Noble Savages’?—Selected Aspects of Nineteenth-Century Ideas of Revitalization and Degeneration and Their Possible After-Effects on Ideas of Landscape in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries (in German-Speaking Countries) 1 Naturalness and Too Much Culture, Degeneration and Evolution 2 Spotlight—‘Noble Savages’ 3 Spotlight—The Climate Theory 4 Spotlight—Degeneration 5 Spotlight—Relics? 6 Summary and Open Questions References The Southern Louisiana Atchafalaya Landscape: Three Theoretical Perspectives 1 Introduction 2 Methods and Overarching Framework 3 The Essentialist View 3.1 Introductory Remarks on the Essentialist Perspective 3.2 Methodological Approach 3.3 Evaluation of the Dating Profiles 3.4 Conclusion Essentialism 4 The Positivist View 4.1 Introductory Remarks on the Positivist Perspective 4.2 Basic Physical Geography Characteristics 4.3 Conclusion Positivism 5 The Social Constructivist View 5.1 Introductory Remarks on the Social Constructivist Perspective 5.2 Methodological Approach 5.3 Evaluation of the Meaning Patterns 5.4 Conclusion on Social Constructivism 6 Overall Conclusions References Deviant Digital Landscapes and Cityscapes Gamify the City, XR, and Tomorrow’s Metaverse 1 Urban Futures: A City Emerging from Renewed Spaces, Gamification, Exploration, and Education Adoption 2 Gamification’s Crucial Role Through Augmented Reality and the Metaverse’s Impact 3 Exemplars in Both Realms: Metaverse and Gamification for Education, Health and Wellbeing 4 Practical Examples of AR-Based Gaming in Education 5 Potential Case Study: “Santa Caterina’s Quest” as a Meta-Game Within a Game City 6 Contributions to Health and Wellbeing in Gamified Urban Environments from the Perspective of Augmented Reality and Metaverse 7 Conclusions References Ready Player One: Digital Cityscapes, Taking Flight from Reality 1 Introduction 2 Overview: Different Theories of Constructing ‘Scapes’ 2.1 Social Construction of Reality 2.2 Utopia and Dystopia 2.3 Sehnsuchtslandschaften 2.4 Cyberspaces 3 Method and Literature Analysis 4 Ready Player One 4.1 About the Book 4.2 The Different ‘Scapes’ of Ready Player One 5 Conclusion References Deviant Landscape Representations in Video Games: What Can Cartographers Learn from Map Design in Video Games? 1 Introduction 2 Deviance of Purpose 3 Deviance of Means 4 Deviance of Perspectives 5 Deviance of Environments 6 Discussion References Deviant Landscapes in the Visual Arts Rubens’s Pastoral Landscapes: Leisure, Pleasure and Ambition 1 Rubens’s Pastoral Imagery and Pastoral Literature 2 A Poetic Paradigm 3 The Cultural Context 4 Leisure and Ambition 5 Conclusion References Algorithmic Art. Neo-Deviant Presentations of Observations of the Present Exemplified by the Creation of Generative Landscape Art with Midjourney 1 Introduction 2 Landscapes and Art 3 Algorithms and Algorithmic Art 4 Neo-Deviance Through Data-Based Distinctions 5 Conclusion References Modelling Scientific and Cultural Production Related to Fictional Worlds and Dystopias 1 Introduction 2 Methods and Data 3 Results 4 Discussion 5 Conclusions References