Landscape and Life-world

Topographic Perception Structures and Discourse Patterns of Artisans up to the Early Twentieth Century

Abstract

Since the beginning of early modern times, we possess narrations of personalities whose lives were shaped, among other things, by their pronounced association with their natural-material environment and by their labor-related mobility. In this context, how was the geographical space perceived, and how was ‘landscape’ introduced as an issue? Which types of reflections and which discourse styles can be observed, concerning ‘space’ and ‘landscape’? These questions will be explored on the basis of selected primary sources from the milieu of artisans. Of special interest are such mental logics and concepts which are not congruent with concepts of ‘landscape’ and aesthetics dominant in the culture of the educated middle classes. The study takes into account the current debate on ‘landscape’ in the social sciences and in cultural studies. It covers the period from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth following the research conducted at the Institute of Saxonian History and Cultural Anthropology in Dresden.