Landscape stories: diverse narratives and perspectives for landscape justice

This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of research interest under the heading of: Landscape stories: diverse narratives and perspectives for landscape justice.

We welcome all research degree applications aligned with and in response to this brief.

Research in cultural geography and heritage studies has for decades acknowledged that cultural landscapes are shaped and re-shaped by structures and expressions of power and privilege in society (e.g. Cosgrove 1979; Scollon & Scollon 2003; Mitchell 1994; Cresswell 1996; Smith 2006). What is striking is that little appears to have changed throughout this time in terms of access and inclusion – as visitor numbers to National Parks and heritage sites, and accounts of negative experiences from people from marginalised groups, attest. Short-term initiatives, projects, and creative reflections abound; but this research strand (https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/research/projects/landscape-stories), part of the Heritage, Culture & Society research centre, is concerned with finding ways to make lasting impact through structural, cultural change. 

PhD projects are invited that explore the ways that different people relate to, engage with, and move around in cultural landscapes; and/or which explore the way that power, privilege, and other forces shape and re-reshape the physical and affective dimensions of landscape. You might consider questions such as:  

• What are the multiple stories of a particular landscape, and how can hidden or silenced stories be surfaced and shared?  
• How do different people engage with, move around in, and make meaning from, a particular (type of) landscape? 
• What can organisations do to make the landscapes they manage or curate more inclusive in a sustainable, meaningful way?  

We encourage projects that are oriented towards creation and/or measurement of positive change. Projects can written or practice-based, depending on the applicant’s background and expertise; any approach is welcome, but we’re particularly interested in ones that:  

• Use GIS to explore people’s engagement with place at a landscape scale, potentially combined with creative approaches  
• Use empirical methods, or that combine social science with creative practice 
• Link with organisations that manage or curate landscapes to act as a testbed and/or pathway to impact 

Projects deriving from this brief are expected to sit within the Research & Knowledge Exchange strategy.

All successful research degree project proposals must emphasise a clear alignment between the project idea and our Research & Knowledge Exchange strategy.