In this paper we present findings from interviews conducted with people who walk with dogs. Drawing on new walking studies and animal geographies as our theoretical framework, we adopt the view that walking is more than just walking; it is often a highly sensual and complex activity. We argue that walking with dogs represents a potentially important cultural space for making sense of human-animal relations. We show how the personalities of both dog and walker can shape not only walking practices, but also the human-animal bond. We contend that the walk is a significant arena where relations of power between animal and human are consciously mediated. We also provide evidence which indicates the contested nature of walking practices and spaces. We conclude that the dog walk is a useful practice through which to examine human-animal relations and thus to contribute to the field of animal geographies.
Cities have always been hubs for celebration and festivity, bringing people together to escape temporarily from the mundane nature of everyday routines. Festivals have often been bridges between people and places, linking personal geography with collective experiences and therefore increasingly of interest to cultural geographers. However, festivals also have social, economic and political aspects that are constructed by societal influences of the time and place. This article presents some of the key debates ongoing in academic literature across disciplines to demonstrate the contested role that cultural festivals play in urban settings and suggests that urban geography is critical to developing these debates. It is simply no longer possible to say that festivity is a simple rupture in the mundanity of everyday life of urban citizens; rather, contemporary cultural festivals now often exhibit complex and uneasy tensions between the socio‐economic strategies of commercialized neoliberal cities and the cultural needs of diverse communities to gather and celebrate. By reviewing the development of festivals as part of the urban cultural economy utilising a geographic lens, this article sets out how cultural festivals are now more often employed by cities for marketing, tourism and other socio‐economic benefits. We demonstrate that cultural festivals and cities have an ongoing relationship, which is now mainly commercialized and politicized, and this has diverse impacts on communities, urban spaces and cultural identities.
This paper considers how Liverpool's year of European Capital of Culture (ECoC) with a focus on altering the image and perceptions of place allowed a heightened sense of awareness of local identity. Drawing on data gathered through ethnographic approaches at a small-scale arts workshop in the city centre and through considering visual imagery, stereotypes and myths of the city, the paper argues that image and identity are relationally different. Using theories of performativity and performance it finds that local people, due to the rebranding of the city and concerted efforts of promoting Liverpool during this year, are able to cite aspects of their cultural identity whilst leaving space for creativity and improvisation. The emergent process of identity performance and imaging a city are able to reflect upon one another creating a nuanced understanding of lived identities in the midst of a large-scale cultural event. ResumenEste trabajo considera cómo el año de Liverpool como Capital Europea de la Cultura (ECoC) con un interés en alterar la imagen y las percepciones de la ciudad permitieron un sentido más elevado de la identidad local. Inspirado en los datos recogidos a través de aproximaciones etnográficas en workshops de arte a pequeña escala en el centro de la ciudad y mediante la consideración de imágenes visuales, estereotipos y mitos de la ciudad, este trabajo argumenta que la imagen y la identidad son relacionalmente diferentes. Utilizando las teorías de performativity y performance se halla que los ciudadanos locales, debido a la nueva marca de la ciudad y a los coordinados esfuerzos de promover Liverpool durante este año, son capaces de citar aspectos de su identidad cultural mientras dejan espacio para la creatividad y la improvisación. El emergente proceso de ejecución de la identidad e imaginar una ciudad son capaces de mostrar bajo una luz poco favorable unos a otros creando una comprensión matizada de las identidades vividas en medio de un evento cultural a gran escala. RésuméCet article étudie la manière dont l'année au cours de laquelle Liverpool était la Capitale Européenne de la Culture et dont l'objectif était de rehausser l'image de marque et les perceptions gardées sur cette ville a mis en lumière le sens d'identité locale. En s'appuyant sur les données recueillies par le biais des approches ethnographiques appliquées aux activités d'un atelier artistique de petite envergure qui a eu lieu au centre ville et en prenant en compte l'image visuelle, les stéréotypes et les mythes de la ville, cette étude conclue que les relations entre l'image et l'identité sont différentes. En recourant aux théories performatives et de performance, cet article démontre, grâce à la recréation de l'image de marque de la ville et aux efforts concertés pour la promotion de Liverpool au cours de cette année, que la population locale est capable de nommer des aspects de leur identité culturelle tout en garantissant l'espace pour la créativité et l'improvisation. Le processus émergent de la performance identitaire et la...
Amid a resurgence of domestic craft, this article contends that everyday creative practices of women are part of placemaking processes in the creative city. Specifically, the research focuses on Liverpool in the Northwest of England, the so-called (and self-proclaimed) 'centre of the creative universe'. This article utilized in-depth semistructured interviews with members of knitting groups and the city centre Women's Institute to explore how women use craft practice to create a sense of self and attachment to place. The idea of women gathering to craft is enduring, and is examined here to understand affective labour and the role that creativity plays in the urban experience of women. It is argued that the groups demonstrate a lack of engagement with the wider market and official placemaking processes, but instead demonstrate an element of self-valorization. The article challenges thinking around culture-led placemaking in cities like Liverpool, where discourses of creativity have been used as a driver for regeneration by shifting the emphasis onto seemingly banal settings on the edges of the so-called creative city. While urban placemakers have been more recently concerned with developing hubs of creative industries, the role of these groups that are not producing a profitable 'product' should not be underestimated or exploited.
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