An Anthropology of Landscape

An Anthropology of Landscape tells the fascinating story of a heathland landscape in south-west England and the way different individuals and groups engage with it. Based on a long-term anthropological study, the book emphasises four individual themes: embodied identities, the landscape as a sensuous material form that is acted upon and in turn acts on people, the landscape as contested, and its relation to emotion. The landscape is discussed in relation to these themes as both 'taskscape' and 'leisurescape', and from the perspective of different user groups. First, those who manage the landscape and use it for work: conservationists, environmentalists, archaeologists, the Royal Marines, and quarrying interests. Second, those who use it in their leisure time: cyclists and horse riders, model aircraft flyers, walkers, people who fish there, and artists who are inspired by it. The book makes an innovative contribution to landscape studies and will appeal to all those interested in nature conservation, historic preservation, the politics of nature, the politics of identity, and an anthropology of Britain.

Praise for An Anthropology of Landscape

'As beautiful as a heath is, it is a mosaic of such acts: a communal human-natural cooperation; perhaps even a microcosm of Britain. What emerges most strongly from An Anthropology of Landscape is its authors' own love for their work; it is telling that the book is dedicated to Tilley's dog, Tor, "who knew the heath better than either of us".' Times Higher Education

'As with all of Tilley's work, his newest book is an important addition to the growing literature on the phenomenology of landscape and place. The book is especially valuable as a research model for understanding how the same physical environment is engaged with, understood, and acted upon by different groups of users.' Environmental & Architectural Phenomenology

'This book is a valuable addition to the growing corpus of landscape phenomenologies, thought-provoking for anyone with an interest in place, space, and people's connections with it. You do not need to be an anthropologist to enjoy this research. Nor do you need to be familiar with the East Devon Pebblebed heathland itself. Granted, Tilley's has a personal engagement with this particular landscape, as presumably does Cameron-Daum. The research is clearly, and unabashedly, bound up with Tilley's memories of his border collie, whose ashes are scattered on the heathland - and who, rather sweetly, the book is dedicated to. But the book is not about a landscape as seen by one or two anthropologists. It is about looking at it through the manifold eyes of the myriad people, from butterfly enthusiasts to performance artists, who shape this landscape and are, in turn, shaped by it.' Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture

'Tilley's and Cameron-Daum's multi-level and in-depth analyses allow one to conceptualize better one's relationships with places, spaces, and landscapes where one does not function as an egocentric user, but as an actor (among many others) who co-creates them and co-lives with them.' Polish Journal of Landscape Studies

Auteur

Christopher Tilley is Professor of Anthropology at UCL. He has written and edited numerous books on archaeology, anthropology and material culture studies. His recent books include The Materiality of Stone (2004), Handbook of Material Culture (ed. 2006), Body and Image (2008) and Interpreting Landscapes (2010).

Kate Cameron-Daum holds BSc and MRes degrees in Anthropology from UCL. She is an independent researcher and environmental volunteer, and is active in local politics.