Man-land Relationship Research Articles

以生态景观构建乡村审美空间

On the surface,rural aesthetic spaces are not considered practical or utilitarian. However,mapping them out is valuable,because permanently sustainable development is the essence of the relationship between man and land. In the early agrarian age,the layout of rural areas was guided by people' s aesthetic views of ecology rather than modern precise statistics,calculations,and related design principles. The inherited philosophy of respecting the natural landscape is the original driving force for preserving aesthetic spaces. Ancient feng shui landforms should be preserved in China. These nonutilitarian elements carried villagers' natural aesthetic philosophy across generations and captured the meaning of continuous development of the man-land relationship. At present,rural research focuses on the economics of land use. Research on the ecological landscape construction of rural aesthetic spaces is limited,and this needs to be investigated as an important topic in the field. As rural landscapes evolve,human agricultural activities leave an imprint on the aesthetics of ecological spaces,and modern layout patterns result in an inversion of the rural landscape. In recent years,the destruction of the regional geographical structure by the rapid development of modern urbanization has been devastating. My research aims to analyze rural ecological landscapes and aesthetic spaces corresponding to the elements,and how aesthetic spaces are constructed based on geographical frames. I will carry out a multi-scale study of morphological characteristics,landscape space,and the relationship between evolution patterns and response mechanisms. In large-scale landscape areas,preserving the spatial relationship between villages and geographic landscapes is particularly essential if villages are to inherit cultural and historical traditions. Town regions are medium-scale landscape areas. Based on the investigation of geographic elements such as mountain ranges and water systems,the principle of ecological art composition requires villages and fields to consider distribution contrast and plan the height,scale,and density of rural construction,road linearity and strength,andother urban construction indexes from the perspective of ecological aesthetics. Small-scale areas usually adopt aesthetic space composition with architectural design methods,which should consider natural aesthetic philosophy,interior and exterior spaces,and rural social factors. The combination of geography and urban planning that shapes spaces and the connotation of space far exceeds social relationships when determining the development scale and construction layout of rural areas. The priority is to maintain harmony in the social space. The construction of rural aesthetic space operates through the"hardware"of the geographical landscape and the "software"of cultural inheritance and accumulation with respect to landscape forms,mechanisms,functional structures,and so on. Rural landscape planning must use geography as its basic space structure,base itself on regional geographical space analysis and landscape preservation,and place importance on indexes of preservation of the regional landscape and traditional culture. It should be specified that the requirements of landscape optimization and socioeconomic development are embedded in the requirements of ecological civilization and social development in the layout of landscape space. These elements form a landscape network that can maintain the comprehensive environment. The philosophy of landscape aesthetics should be expanded to broader spaces in order to introduce the concept of landscape beauty to towns,villages,and even farmlands.

Progress on Tourism Eco-Efficiency and its Implications

Tourism destination is a special area typical of the man-land relationship interaction. Eco-efficiency evaluation of tourism destination is a basis for developing inclusive and sustainable development policies and measures for tourism destination. This paper discusses the progress on tourism eco-efficiency from three angles-concept definition, measure methods and empirical study. Three aspects of deficiency were shown in the present study. One is the research perspective. Most researches on tourism eco-efficiency are from the level that human material production behaviors influence environment, however researches from the level that human consumption behaviors influence environment are inadequate. The other is the research content. The researches mainly focus on the value and impact two aspects, while the measure concerning value and impact is incomplete. The last part is research method. Though, currently some scholars have already applied ecological footprint analysis method, material flow analysis, ecosystem health assessment to the evaluation of regional eco-efficiency research. The methods about the measure of eco-efficiency which include priority structure method, multi-objective programming method, ecological topological method, data envelopment analysis, ecological cost value index are suffering highly controversial, owing to having inherent defects on characterizing natural resource consumption, environmental pollution, ecological service value, non-polluting ecological impacts, human development and so on. Consequently, from the view of input, output and process of logistics, energy flow, currency flow of tourism destinations natural-economic-social-tourism complex system, making eco-efficiency as an entry point, aiming at achieving sustainable development of tourism destination, studying on tourism eco-efficiency, it will be the frontier research area of Tourism Geography.

The classification and assessment of vulnerability of man-land system of oasis city in arid area

Oasis city system is the center of the man-land relationship in arid area and it is the most influential spatial and temporal multiple dynamic system. Oasis city system is not only the largest area where artificial disturbances occur at a regional scale but also the most concentrated area of human activity in arid area. In this study, we developed an applicable and convenient method to assess vulnerability of man-land system of oasis cities with vulnerability indicator system, respectively evaluating the sensitivity, adaptability and vulnerability of the eco-environment system, the economic system and the social system. The results showed that the sensitivity and vulnerability of oasis cities in Xinjiang, China have significant differences while their adaptability does little. In order to find the inherent differences in the vulnerability of oasis cities, triangle methodology has been adopted to divide Xinjiang oasis cities into five types. Some adaptive developing policies specific for individual cities are also proposed based on their vulnerability type and constraining factors.

Louise Erdrich's 20th Century Novels in the Context of Native American Literary and Cultural Traditions (Problems, Symbolism, Main Images)

This thesis is for the Candidate of Philology degree in specialization 10.01.04. – Literature of Foreign Countries. – Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. – Kyiv, 2010. The dissertation is a first in home literary studies attempt to complexly analyse the 20th century novels of an outstanding Native American writer Louise Erdrich. The basic research goals are the novelist’s work objective evaluation, its problems, symbolism, main images analysis in the context of Indian literary and cultural traditions, determining L. Erdrich’s personal contribution into the multi-cultural US literature. The research methods used by Native, Non-Native and post-Soviet literary critics to interpret the complicated phenomenon of L. Erdrich’s prose are considered in the paper. In addition, the writer’s search of style in the context of Native American and American literatures of the second half of the 20th century is shown in the thesis.As there are no overall techniques to interpret indigenous prose in Ukrainian literary criticism, the study of Louise Erdrich’s fiction with taking into account Indian literary principles is offered in the research. The writer’s work is a product of a great personal creativity influenced by oral tradition and postmodern literature. It also offers a rich canvas of Anishinaabe mythology and world perspective, the same as Catholic religious beliefs. Her prose also offers the following Anishinaabe and pan-Indian cultural insights and ceremonies as pipe ceremony, naming, purification, healing, vision quest, first hunting, traditional marriage, pow-wow, etc. Her exquisite psycho-analytical novels, offering a profound immersion into “female space”, are unique literary accomplishments fictional reality of which has often been confused with magical realism literary reality.Cultural, historical and literary contexts of the novelist’s prose are studied in the dissertation. The impact of Ojibwe folklore images, basic Indian and universal archetypes on L. Erdirch’s work are considered. Moreover, main motifs, plot schemes, semantics of colors, protagonists’ names and numbers used in the writer’s novels are discussed. This helps understand L. Erdrich’s fictional intentions, reflects the influence of important social, cultural and historical peculiarities of a Native person’s integration into a contemporary multi-cultural American society. Her prose is of a strong political influence in which the writer shows the dramatic consequences of social and cultural assimilation of Native peoples. On the examples of her characters’ lives she demonstrates the ruining impact of boarding school system on indigenous children. As a result of Indian “holocaust”, prohibition to speak Anishinaabe language and to practice native beliefs and ceremonies on their land many Ojibwe people became the victims of inferiority complexes and self-hatred. L. Erdrich shows the psychological drama of a contemporary Indian: complete return to the former way of life is as impossible as full acceptance of the new life style imposed by colonizers. The analyses of L. Erdrich’s fictional characters’ names, natural elements, main archetypes and images semantics, color and number symbolism are pioneer attempts in home American literary readings.Trickster-like multiple-voice narration, numerous versions of fictional truth, collective “we” and multiple allusions to Ojibwe myths make L. Erdrich’s novels often built in the form of short interconnected stories unique examples of clustering, which is discussed for the first time in home literary studies. The unique chronotope of Louise Erdrich’s prose is firstly considered in Ukrainian literary criticism. Her fictional chronotope – oneness of spherical space, vector, cyclical and generational time models – is a significant accomplishment not only of modern Indian, but also of American prose.The study of man-land relationship and its breaking after-effects in Erdrich’s prose is a substantial thesis accomplishment. The research expands the former boundaries of “mythical twins” category, offering protagonists’ and antagonists’ images discussion. Double names of novel chapters – in English and in Ojibwe – are considered to be a sign of indigenous languages revitalization. Special attention is given in the research to writer’s interpretation of the pan-Indian plot scheme and motif of road as its inseparable constituent. Detailed description of fictional characters’ initiation offers an alternative vision of urgent issues solution.The writer unites the following: various interpretations of Ojibwe folklore stories told by numerous narrators; storytelling from the perspective of collective “we”; L. Erdrich’s personal stories characteristic for communal narration, a new fictional form in Native literature. This broadens the horizons of Ukrainian literary criticism, enriching it with the knowledge of new types of narratives and compositional structure of a literary piece. The author’s unique style enriches both Native and American literary traditions. Further research in this direction is of critical importance for Ukrainian literary criticism because of the rich variety of important topics, teachings, symbols, literary techniques and genres of L. Erdrich’s sophisticated prose.

Analysis of Spatial Distribution of the Neolithic Settlements in Zhengzhou-Luoyang Area by Using GIS

Zhengzhou-Luoyang area is one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization and contains more than 1000 settlements of the Neolithic Age. To study the spatial distribution of the Neolithic settlements in the region, this paper applied the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate the relationship between site locations and environmental variables. The results of GIS analysis show that the settlement distribution of each culture period has a clustered pattern and obvious spatial features. Most of the settlements tend to be located in flat areas with low elevation and close to rivers and arable soils. Based on the environment variables, a Neolithic settlement site predictive model was generated to predict the archaeological probability of any given area in Zhengzhou-Luoyang area. The predictive model and distribution characteristics obtained here can help better understand the Neolithic man-land relationship and provide guidance for future field archaeology.

Agricultural reclamations in Xiliao River Valley, China since the Holocene

The agricultural reclamations in the Xiliao River Valley since the Holocene have led to a huge landscape change from grassland to farmland. In this paper we reconsider the man-land relationship in the Xiliao River Valley by analyzing three major agricultural reclamations in prehistory, the Liao-Jin Dynasty and the period since the Qing Dynasty. We argue that when the demographic pressure appears in this area, especially during the last reclamation, the intraregional migration (second migration) is the major response to relieve such pressure, which also distinguishes two different settlement locations: “the initial area” and “the secondary area”. Due to the environmental differences between these two areas, the cultivation on the latter one has caused more serious disturbance to the local environment. Thus the secondary area has become the key region which needs environmental management seriously.

Prehistoric settlements and environment of West Liaohe River Valley

AbstractInvestigations show that the settlements of the Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou Cultures (a. 8-6ka BP), the subsistence types of which were mainly gathering, fishing and hunting, were located within the timberland zone largely concentrated at altitudes between 400-600m above the sea level suitable for these economic activities, while the zones higher and lower than these altitudes only occasionally played this role. In the Hongshan through Upper Xiajiadian Cultures (a. 6-3ka BP), the weather became cold and dry, primitive agriculture increased its importance in the means of subsistence and the population grew gradually, all of which caused the settlements to be expanded from timberland to lower steppes. Every change in the subsistence pattern was embodied in the relationship between the settlement and the environment, and the breakthrough in the settlement location choices by expanding living space from forest margin was just a result of promotion by agricultural production. The gathering, fishing and hunting economy of the Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou periods made the settlement occupation shorter than that in the Hongshan period and later times when agriculture had held the leading position in economy. Both the duration of settlement occupation and the alteration of settlement culture prove that the man-land relationship in the prehistoric West Liaohe River Valley was kept in a relative equilibrium.

Industrial Structure Change and Its Eco-environmental Influence since the Establishment of Municipality in Chongqing, China

The change of regional industrial structure best reflects the transformation of resource utilization in human society, and also results in a visible alteration of its eco-environmental effect. It is a significant content for regional sustainability development and man-land relationship research to explore the eco-environmental effect of regional industrial structure change. The ecoenvironmental influence produced by nine-industry subclasses’ development was analyzed, and at the same time, the historical trace of industrial structure development in Chongqing after municipality establishing was reviewed briefly. Making use of ecoenvironmental influence modulus of industrial departments (EIMID), we quantitatively evaluated the entire eco-environmental impact of industrial structure change in Chongqing from 1997 to 2008 by integrated eco-environmental influence modulus of industrial structure (IEIMIS). Our research showed that the industrial structure had experienced two significant transformations since the establishment of municipality in 1997 and that IEIMIS presented an approximate U-shaped curve with an ascent trend after an initial decline and fluctuated in a certain range. From 1997 to 2001 the economic development was rather sustainable in Chongqing, but from 2002 to 2008, the social development was at the expensive of eco-environment deterioration and the industrial structure change intensified human activity's pressure on local environment. It was concluded that as the youngest municipality and the city still in industrialization increasing stage in China, Chongqing faced an arduous task of industry upgrading and optimizing. Developing circular economy and eco-industry and implementing cleaner production methods would be the optimum choice for its future development. Sufficient attentions of the supervision mechanism of environmental protection also should be given.

Location and environment of the settlements and man-land relationship in West Liaohe River Basin since Holocene

This paper reconsiders the man-land relationship in West Liaohe River Basin through the analysis of settlements' environment and takes the key district of ecologically fragile area,where the improvement of the environment is urgently needed,as the focus of the study.Based on the research of three agricultural reclamation periods in West Liaohe River Basin since Holocene,the paper brought forward that the location of the settlement can be classified as the first choice and the territoriality.Because of the fragile environment in West Liaohe River Basin,there exist not only the environmental differences but also a total different characteristics of the first choice and the territoriality.In the two aspects of height and topography,sloping field of 400-600 m contour is the first choice.It is not only the main immigratory area in each agricultural reclamation period,but also the area with a longer duration of human activity.Region outside 400-600 m contour area belongs to territoriality.Secondary migration is a most important step of compromising the man-land relationship.It is also the beginning of agriculture and planting in territoriality.Moving out of the first choice and moving into the territoriality as the secondary immigration have been through all previous agriculture reclamations in West Liaohe River Basin,which is most prominent during the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty.Agricultural reclamation in West Liaohe River Basin was a main process of the environmental change from grassland to farmland.Because of the environment differences between the immigrants' first choice and territoriality,agricultural reclamation in territoriality would bring a more serious disturbance to the environment,thus,this kind of area is not only the focus of environmental issues,but also the key district where the improvement of the environment is urgently needed.

Land use change and its socio-economic driving forces under stress of project in old reservoir area

The old reservoir areas built in 1950s–1970s left behind many socio-economic problems, because of the administrative backward migration and little migration fund, and all these problems would be tied to land. Based on interviewing with peasant households, combining land use survey and socio-economic statistical index, this paper analyzed land use change and its corresponding driving forces in Linshui reservoir area of Dahonghe Reservoir. Results showed that land use change in the reservoir area was mainly embodied on low-lying land submergence and migration requisition land. The former changed the land use patterns, and the latter mainly reconstructed original land property and made land over-fragmented. Cultivated land per capita was 0.041ha this area, below the cordon of cultivated land per capita enacted by FAO. Currently, there were still 30.25% of peasant households being short of grain in trimester of one year, and there were 35.27% of people living under the poverty line. The conditions of eco-environment in Linshui Reservoir Area were worse, and healthy and sub-healthy eco-environment accounted for less proportion, composed of green belt around the reservoir area and paddy field ecosystem, and economic forest and orchard ecosystem, respectively. The stress of the reservoir project was macroscopic background to analyze the driving factors of land use change, and real underlying diving factor of the land use change in the area was the change of cultural landscape under the stress of reservoir project. The rapid increase of population was the key factor to induce the change of man-land relationship in the reservoir area, the low level of rural economy was the crucial factor to decide how migrants input for production, and the belief of migrants, influencing the land use patterns in a certain extent, was the inducing factor to keep land use stable. The low-lying submergence and infrastructure construction accompanied the reservoir project were leading factors driving land use change in the area, while changes in land use patterns, after the reservoir being built, were the responses of peasant households’ behaviors to land use change.

戦前期中学校における山崎直方の地理教育観

Yamasaki Naomasa was a professor of Tokyo Higher Normal School and Tokyo Imperial University. He established the study of Geography of Japan prewar times (before WW II), and then had an effect on geography teaching in junior high school prewar times. Because he insisted on treating the theory of man-land relationship in geography teaching and world geography textbooks. The theory of man-land relationship is defined as the geographical methodology, which correlate physical and human geography. Needless to say, this theory is one of the important concepts in geography.But his insistence was not clearly reflected in the textbooks he wrote. We can only find enumerating descriptions and meticulous accounts in his textbooks in lack of above methodology and concept.It would appear that a cause of these facts was connected with Geomorphology he studied specially. Generally speaking, geomorphology is defined as the study of not connecting physical and human geography in a positive way.On the other hand, Ogawa Takuji -a professor of Kyoto Imperial University-played an active role in Human Geography of the same age with Yamasaki. Ogawa said “we considered the relationship between physical and human phenomenon in human geography” In fact, Ogawa wrote textbooks on the basis of the theory of man-land relationship.Consequently, it would appear that the difference of scholarship may account for the study of geography teaching prewar times in Japan. In other words, due to these characters of scholarship which had a tendency of segmentalization and singularization, affected geomorphology, education furthermore. Conclusively we can see the description in geography textbooks without correlating physical and human geography.

On evolution of man-land system in oasis

Human beings have had a tremendous impact on natural ecosystems and are now the principal power to change the biosphere. It is logical that we should pay close attention to the interaction between human systems and environmental systems. Taking Minqin basin, Gansu Province, as a case, this paper focuses on the evolution of regional physical environments and the cultural systems by which people maintain their relationships with those environments. This paper presents the conceptual framework for the man-land system. Expecting to accelerate the regional sustainable development, it also analyses the evolutionary mechanism of regional man-land system. On the basis of reviewing and analyzing the evolution of man-land system in Minqin basin, the paper also brings forward an adjusting mode for the studied area, which consists of three aspects: to build up a concept that economic growth must harmonize with environmental quality’s and land productivity’s improvement; to make a whole planning and management in the drainage area; and to push forward the technique of water-saving irrigation and establish water-saving agricultural system. It’s meaningful for resource exploitation and sustainable development of Chinese northwestern arid area, which is represented by Minqin basin, by understanding what great changes the basin has experienced and is experiencing at the global background, and studying its time order and territorial structure, the system’s character and law of evolution, trend and the regulating ways to improve man-land relationship.

Pastoralist-State Relationships among the Hadendowa Beja of Eastern Sudan

The African Pastoral Crisis It is a long established fact in studies on African pastoralism that an understanding of pastoral adaptations cannot be limited to a man-land relationship seen in isolation, i.e. to focussing only on the direct relationships between the natural environment and human adaptation. We know that contemporary African pastoralism is also affected by factors beyond such immediate ecological relationships. African pastoralist communities are deeply affected by the general social, economic, political and ecological crisis in the continent. They are subject to forces which have an increasing influence on their ecosystems and which raise the vulnerability of local production systems. Understanding this crisis needs a perspective that takes into consideration broad socio-economic causes, as these are interlinked with factors such as demographic growth, agricultural stagnation, the incorporation of pastoral economies into the market economy, general insecurity arising from civil wars and conflicts, faulty national and international policies, as well as factors linked to climate and ecology. These processes have led to rapid sedentarisation and urbanisation, the breakdown of traditional structures, transformation of gender relations, degradation of natural resources and growing vulnerability of groups to ecological and economic stress (e.g. Bovin and Manger 1990, Ahmed and Abdel Ati 1996). Instead of a general acceptance of such complexities, the history of planning and contact between public authorities and African pastoralists has been one of misunderstandings as well as more or less conscious policies of marginalisation, based on simplistic assumptions. The most common of these are the widespread generalisations that accuse pastoralists of wandering about destroying nature and hence creating desertification, of practicing stock management based on irrational economic principles, of being technically stagnant and backward, and of adhering to conservative social structures and cultural notions. In other words, of being against development and rational change. States have also tried to control pastoralists, condemning their lifestyles, forcing them into rigid administrative structures and imposing national identities upon them. Such notions have led to harmful interventions by governments and donors alike. Development programmes characterised by technical weaknesses, lack of understanding of social systems and inadequate politico-administrative frameworks have been common. Lack of cooperation on the part of pastoralists has been explained by resistance to change and inherent conservatism. Pastoralists themselves have indeed, often responded to such developments with distrust, resistance and violence. Pastoral societies have undergone great transformations in the course of their contact with such state structures. Animal health, water policies, sedentarisation schemes, and land reforms are all areas of public policy that have brought about profound changes in pastoral adaptations. Not all of these have been detrimental to African pastoralism, nor have pastoralists shied away from involving themselves in such issues. But the history of African pastoral development can not be reduced to one of intended and unintended effects of public policies. We would thus be as ill-advised to conceive of African pastoralists as isolated societies, as to look at them exclusively as victims of public policies--as communities representing a `past' and withdrawing from the public arena. Rather, we should take a dynamic perspective, visualising pastoralists as pursuing their interests, participating whenever they see benefits, and withdrawing when they feel threatened. No doubt, the general tendency indicates that pastoralists are losers in contemporary processes of development. However, this is not a game in which all pastoralists are similarly affected. Nor were all pastoralists equal in the past. …

A theoretical discussion on types and measurement of sustainable development

Classifying the types and measuring sustainable development are important contents of theoretical studies on sustainable development. Scientifically reflecting the characteristics of sustainable development and favorably classifying the types of sustainable development are the basis and objective of measuring sustainable development. By using the methods of coordinatively analyzing man-land relationship and economic analysis, especially by combining with constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function, this paper advances average sustainable gross domestic production (ASGDP), inquires into the mutually coordinative and interdependent relationship between humane capital and natural capital in the process of sustainable development. It also sets up an index system of measuring sustainable development and a type system of sustainable development. then according to this index system, if firstly classifies the sustainable development, moderate sustainable development, and strong sustainable development, and it also discuss them theoretical significance. Secondly, it probes into the minimum cost, structure optimization and sustainable development. At last, it discuss the type classification of sustainable development on development sequence, and points out theoretically the amount of transitions among 8 basic regional sustainable development types is 56. in the process of productive expansion this transition type embodies the input increase of humane capital is greatly larger than that of natural capital. On the contrary, economized humane capital transition is a result of progressively decreasing marginal rate of technical substitution of humane capital to natural capital.

Geography in general education in the Federal Republic of Germany

The professional formation of German geography teachers is advanced both at university level and for all types of schools. There is a long tradition of teaching geography as a separate independent subject in classes 5–13, whereas it is an integrated subject in classes 1–4 and only in some states, on the secondary level. Speaking for all schools and all ten federal states, it can be maintained that there is a minimum of one geography hour per week, sometimes up to two hours. However a certain decline of classroom hours has occurred during the last 30 years (which most other subjects suffered as well). As most geography teachers have another subject (or two), they have a tendency to identify as a maths teacher, for example, because of the higher general esteem the second subject may have. Still, public opinion considers geography to be of general importance for an educated citizen. This has effectively influenced the curricula, emphasizing cognitive insight in geographical aspects, topography and general understanding of man-land relationship. A higher level of critical insight, planning issues and higher intellectual objectives can be reached with geographical topics.

Land use control and natural resource management in Nigeria

In Nigeria, increasing evidence indicates a deteriorating man-land relationship. Negative changes in landscape quality, lowering both the productivity and aesthetic quality of the natural environment, may have serious effects on the nation's economy. In rural areas, declining soil fertility and soil erosion threaten the ability to produce sufficient food. In urban areas, competition for productive agricultural land has led to its conversion to urban uses. Earth materials required for urban development have been obtained by widespread landscape destruction. Expansion of urban areas into sensitive valley, marsh, and lagoon environments has led to an increased frequency of urban floods and flood damage. A developing conservation ethic must be accompanied by a practicable framework for land use control.

A NOTE ON THE MAN‐LAND RELATIONSHIP IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA*

OceaniaVolume 48, Issue 2 p. 141-145 Article A NOTE ON THE MAN-LAND RELATIONSHIP IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA* Tony Barnett, Tony Barnett School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia.Search for more papers by this author Tony Barnett, Tony Barnett School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia.Search for more papers by this author First published: December 1977 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1834-4461.1977.tb01330.x †† Although the author was employed by the United Nations when he wrote this paper, that organization does not bear any responsibility for the views expressed in it. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume48, Issue2December 1977Pages 141-145 RelatedInformation

The Ecological Basis of French Alpine Peasant Communities in the Dauphine

A striking aspect of contemporary peasant society in the French Alpine district known as the Queyras is the close correlation that exists locally between a specific type of community and an equally well-defined type of physical setting. It is apparent, however, that this correlation is a relatively more recent phenomenon in the region than peasant settlement per se, and that the community once presented itself in a markedly different form. In fact, certain surviving vestiges of this older form of social organization, coupled with the closeness of the present man-land relationship, indicate that the early community underwent in situ a gradual but drastic transformation eventuating in the type of community found today. My aim in this paper is to relate functionally several structural characteristics of the present community to certain local environmental conditions that are of special significance in view of the prevailing technology. To properly demonstrate this ecological relationship, it will be necessary to consider a number of geographical and historical facts concerning the region generally; to examine the typical peasant community in its immediate topographic setting; to reconstruct as much of the older form of community as the evidence available will reasonably permit; and, finally, to characterize the evolutionary process leading to the emergence of the present community, by identifying the principal factors involved.