For Love of Land and People

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For this event, we’ll concentrate upon two readings that discuss the benefits of attaching oneself to a place and a people.

In the first reading, Scott Donald Sampson focuses upon one’s developing an attachment to a land, which he explores through the concept of topophilia, defined in the essay as “an emotional bond with place…including both living and non-living components.”

Sampson proposes that “a meaningful sense of place has four primary dimensions—emotional/affective, spatial/geographic, ecological/interconnections, and temporal/ historical. A true place-sense includes the intertwining of all four.”

In the second reading, Avram Davis also affirms the wisdom of developing an allegiance to a land, but as coupled with an attachment to a nation, people, or tribe.

Davis writes that

“The heart of the particularistic and the tribal consists of the close and the intimate… It rejects rhetoricians who speak of ‘healing-the-planet’ when they are without any specific responsibility to family, group, or land…

“The strength of the tribalist vision resides in three major areas. In the notion of a specific region, by which I mean a specific consecrated acreage. In the notion of kinship… And in the notion of a common past which moves toward a common future.”

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Find the readings here:

Scott Donald Sampson, “The Topophilia Hypothesis” (please focus on highlighted passages):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wixmUMNNIMlD6oM0jwPJa_FFcNExppxl/view?usp=sharing

Avram Davis, “Tribalism”:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cqEqOqFdmFB67RbUOTeb-wyMb-AgL50L/view?usp=sharing

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Weather permitting, we’ll aim to meet outside for this event.

Please join us for a lively discussion of these texts!

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Best wishes,

Sonja and Christopher

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* Please note that the quality of our discussion depends upon the informed participation of attendees. By signing up you agree to complete the readings and come ready with a few thoughts or questions for the group. Thank you!

** Please also note that this will be a joint event with the Scrutopia Edinburgh (https://www.meetup.com/scrutopia-edinburgh/) and New Culture Forum Edinburgh (https://www.meetup.com/new-culture-forum-edinburgh-meetup/) Meetup groups, with an invitation extended to members of the NCF Locals platform as well.