Symbolism and the Cultural Landscape

ABSTRACT The cultural landscape is created and transformed by human symbolic action. Environmental symbolism is one means whereby social identity and reality are created. Symbolization must be viewed as a social process. Furthermore, symbolization is shown to be a significant response to cultural stress. The general process of stress-induced symbolism can be understood in terms of accepted principles of evolutionary ecology, and from these, a continuum model of symbolization is presented. The continuum model is explicated through the analysis of the historic preservation movement in Salzburg, Austria since 1860. Specific aspects of the cultral landscape are shown to be particularly potent as sources for symbolization in response to stress. By focusing on the symbolization process and the resulting symbolic forms, the explanatory power of cultural geography can be expanded.