Roles and meanings of 'landscape'

Abstract

Roles and meanings of 'landscape' are examined within a contemporary issue of resource policy. An initial classification of meanings of 'landscape' is applied to the analysis of interviews with fifty eight elite decision-makers and decision-influencers involved with the issue of trees and plantations in the Canterbury high country. Additional analyses focus upon the metaphorical structure of 'landscape', symbolic associations of 'landscape', and the functional role of 'landscape'. Patterns of oral usage are then compared with the attitudinal context of use as represented by the concept of frame of reference. A second phase of analysis extends the scope of the study to historical documentary sources. 'Landscape' usage is interpreted by its conceptual role, its role as myth, and its political role. 'Landscape' meaning and use is shown to be plural, dynamic, and contingent upon circumstances. Some implications for policy formation are noted.