“O Little Town of Bethlehem”…”Once in Royal Davids City”…”High Street braced for Christmas Sales Carnage”

We (Naomi, George & I) were wondering how the festive season influences your thoughts on place? Some of us will spend time celebrating with family or partners, some of us will spend the Christmas period alone, working or trying to ignore this pressurizing commercial occasion – which is perhaps defunct of the meaning placed upon it so many centuries ago.

In any case, Christmas must put a rather different spin on our attitude towards place. It’s interesting to consider how our thoughts on place change in relation to the time of year…

What will you be doing for Christmas and what are your thoughts on Christmas and place?

Jen

Hello folks,

I’ve just had a conference call with George and Naomi to discuss the marketing of My Place Or Yours, during which, I commented on how perfectionism was inhibiting me from posting on here! I have a blog of my own (jenroberts.co.uk/blog) which I’ve found quite easy to post on, but here, with the thought of literary eyes scrutinizing my style, content and grammar, I’ve been a little more hesitant! But you know what, you’ve just got to bite the bullet and do it! The end results are worth it. I find it very satisfying to click ‘publish’ and think my words have been set down here for years to come (rather than have them zip about the neural pathways of my mind and into some private yet over-crowded memory parking lot.) I also think, the more you blog, the better the blogger you become. (Isn’t that basic logic true to most pursuits?)

So, no excuses people. If I can do it, there’s no reason why you can’t! (If technology is still stood before you like a hostile and burly bouncer at the door, just let me know and I’ll guest pass you into enlightenment. Just email me: editor [at] myplaceoryours.org.uk)

Btw, do you remember our My Place Or Yours weekend? We were all to bring an item that represented place to us. I couldn’t bring the item I wanted (a book – David Elkington’s ‘In The Name Of The Gods‘) because they had all sold out and second hand copies were selling for more than £70) so I brought along a short essay on it. Remember? You were all struggling to stay awake at the end of a long day whilst I talked about the acoustic motives behind certain sacred places…the importance of vibrations and their mind enhancing effects…the fact that “sound and resonance is everything!?” Well, *excitement*…The books have dramatically dropped in price and I’ve just purchased a signed, limited edition second hand copy in pristine condition for £22! I’ll receive it just in time for Christmas. Are you expecting any treats for Christmas? I’m interested to know what you’ve asked Santa for…

Anyway, before I depart, I would just like to say a big thanks to VariHost who are supplying us with free web hosting for this project. For those of you who are considering setting up your own wordpress blog and are a bit peturbed by the thought of having to install wordpress yourself, VariHost offer wordpress specific packages where they will provide you with the domain name of your choice (if it’s available) and upload the latest version of wordpress for you, they’ll even customize it if you have a pre-selected theme. Check ‘em out...http://www.varihost.net They’re a small company so you can expect very swift and accurate customer service.

Bye for now,

Jen x

I just stumbled upon ‘Place’ by Tim Cresswell. You can preview a generous amount of the book here.

Description

This text introduces students of human geography to the fundamental concept of place, marrying everyday uses of the term with the complex theoretical debates that have grown up around it.

• A short introduction to one of the most fundamental concepts in human geography.
• Marries everyday uses of the term “place” with the more complex theoretical debates that have grown up around it.
• Makes the debates intelligible to students, using familiar stories as a way into more abstract ideas.
• Excerpts and discusses key papers on place by Doreen Massey and David Harvey.
• Considers empirical examples of ways in which the concept of place has been used in research.
• Teaching and learning aids include an annotated bibliography, lists of key readings and texts, a survey of web resources, suggested pedagogical resources and possible student projects.

About the author

Tim Cresswell is Professor in Social and Cultural Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He is the author of In Place / Out of Place (1996) and The Tramp in America (2001). He is also the co-editor of Mobilizing Place. Placing Mobility (2003) and Engaging Film (2002).