The Space of Culture – the Place of Nature in Estonia and Beyond

Abstract

Aims & ScopeThe Approaches to Culture Theory book series focuses on various aspects of analysis, modelling, and theoretical understanding of culture. Culture theory as a set of complementary theories is seen to include and combine the approaches of different sciences, among them semiotics of culture, archaeology, environmental history, ethnology, cultural ecology, cultural and social anthropology, human geography, sociology and the psychology of culture, folklore, media and communication studies. 978-9949-19-623-4 Approaches to Culture Theory Foreword by the Series EditorsThe motivation in initiating this book series is to provide a forum for discussion on the contemporary culture theory as approached by a variety of disciplines. The core group includes archaeology, human geography, ethnology, social anthropology, communication and contemporary culture, folklore, religion studies, and semiotics. This list is not exclusive for other branches in humanities or social sciences studying culture. Yet, in 2008 the research teams in these disciplines in Estonia established the Centre of Excellence in Cultural Theory (CECT) with support from the European Union. The CECT focuses its research on the inheritance and creativity of cultural practices from ancient times to the present. Research groups cooperate to find new, and combine established, approaches and themes -ancient social and cultural systems, folklore and heritage, contemporary everyday practice, the evolution and translatability of sign systems, landscape and sociological processes, media and life story research -in order to advance theoretical analysis of culture.Culture theory has a great role to play, not only as a set of theories in the humanities and social sciences, but also as a self-description of culture that forms a factor in the dynamics of culture and science. The series thus also aims to enhance methodological and theoretical standards in cultural research. We strive towards significant improvement in both the selfunderstanding of disciplinary fields and in the comprehension of general theoretical models by juxtaposing and comparing data, theories, and the methods of research in an interdisciplinary environment through crossdisciplinary cooperation. The editors intend this book series to facilitate the publication of significant results in the field of culture studies from around the globe. Constructing NatureThe Positioning on the Landscape of Culture and Mind: Methods for the Social Construction of Nature 78 Maaris RaudseppMapping Human Impact -Expanding Horizons: Interdisciplinary Integration 93 Morten TønnessenWriting the Environment: Finnish Written Nature Narratives 107 Kirsi Laurén Landscapes and Environmental Change 10 AcknowledgementsFirst of all thanks are directed to the participants who found time to attend the event, to the contributors to this book for their patience and enjoyable cooperation and to colleagues, especially Helen Sooväli-Sepping (and the Sepping family of Wiina farm) and Monika Tasa for their practical help throug...