Väitös (maisemantutkimus): MA Chenru Xue

MA Chenru Xue esittää väitöskirjansa ”The Dynamics of Space, Place and Landscape: Understanding the Arctic Landscape from a Lacanian Perspective” julkisesti tarkastettavaksi Turun yliopistossa perjantaina 31.10.2025 klo 12.00 (Porin yliopistokeskus, huone 267, Pohjoisranta 11 A, Pori).

Yleisön on mahdollista osallistua väitökseen myös etäyhteyden kautta.

Vastaväittäjänä toimii yliopistonlehtori Juha Ridanpää (Oulun yliopisto) ja kustoksena professori Maunu Häyrynen (Turun yliopisto). Tilaisuus on englanninkielinen. Väitöksen alana on maisemantutkimus.

Väitöskirja Turun yliopiston julkaisuarkistossa.

Väitöstiedote: Koskematon erämaa, geopoliittisen kilpailun kenttä vai ilmastonmuutoksen haurastuttama koti? – Mielikuvat arktisesta alueesta vaikuttavat siihen konkreettisesti

***

Tiivistelmä väitöstutkimuksesta:

How do we see the Arctic? Is it a land of untouched wilderness, a site of geopolitical competition, or a fragile home affected by climate change? This doctoral dissertation explores how our ideas about the Arctic are formed and how they shape the way we think about and interact with it.

By examining films, photographs, video games, and national parks in the North, this research shows that the Arctic is not just a physical place on the map but also a powerful cultural landscape built through both images and experiences. The ways we represent and experience the Arctic affect how we understand its meaning and value.

The dissertation combines theories from visual culture, cultural geography, and psychoanalysis to ask: why do we keep seeing the Arctic in the same way, even when its realities are changing? It argues that behind every piece of landscape imagery lies a mixture of politics, desire, and memory. These forces shape what becomes visible or left unseen and how we emotionally connect to the region.

One of the main findings is that landscapes are processes that connect people, places, and emotions. The Arctic, in this sense, is a site of negotiation global and local perspectives meet. The study also shows that digital technologies, such as video games and online maps, have become new ways of experiencing and interpreting landscapes.

In a world facing rapid environmental and cultural change, this research reminds us that the way of seeing landscapes matters. Images and ideas influence how we act within landscapes: they can inspire care and connection, but they can also reproduce myths and power imbalances. Recognizing both the emotional and symbolic dimensions of landscapes helps us engage with the environment around us in more thoughtful and responsible ways.