Topophilia

Topophilia is described in Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language as literally "love of place". It is a term used to describe the strong sense of place or identity among certain peoples.

It combines the Greek word topos (topo- or top-), meaning place, with the ending -philia, meaning love of/for.

It is generally believed that it was coined by Chinese-American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan in his 1974 book entitled Topophilia: a study of environmental perception, attitudes, and values. Tuan claims that topophilia "can be defined widely so as to include all emotional connections between physical environment and human beings." But W. H. Auden used the term already in his 1948 introduction to John Betjeman's poetry title Slick but Not Streamlined. Perhaps more germanely, it appeared in French philosopher Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space, published in French in 1958. Alan Watts' autobiography, In my own way, first published in 1972, starts with the sentence "Topophilia is a word invented by the British poet John Betjemen for a special love for peculiar places." Rene J. Dubos in his 1972 book A God Within indirectly refers to topophilia in his chapter "The Peristence of Place". He said that the "spirit of place" in classical Roman times was called the genius loci as the protective or guardian deity of a certain place. Today this is reflected when humans "search for distinctiveness in their surroundings...because it is rooted in [our] nature." Lastly, Dubos argues that the persistence of place is "an expression of a spirit so powerful" that it can convert a resident population to "identify with a place...adopt a type of clothing, ways of life, and turns of phrases." James W. Gibson, in his 2009 book "A Reenchanted World" also argues that topophilia or "love of place" is a biologically based, close cultural connection to place. Gibson says that such connections mostly have been destroyed in modernity but argues that "more and more people are trying to reinvent them."

Sports geographer John Bale has noted the opportunities sport stadia have for topophilia, citing five metaphors that make stadiums particularly topophilic:

1. They are 'sacred spaces' for their followers, particularly if euphoric or tragic incidents have taken place within them, such as the Hillsborough disaster.
2. They often have 'scenic' qualities, such as the view of the Gateway Arch at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
3. As a 'home' to the team and the fans, it can have psychological advantages to both.
4. The stadium might be a 'tourist' attraction to visitors, a must-see venue. Some stadiums, such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground have fee-charging tours when matches are not even occurring.
5. Deep local pride may be tied up with particular stadiums.

See also

• Heimat
• Spirit of place
• Yi-Fu Tuan

External links

• Ogunseitan, Oladele A. "Topophilia and the Quality of Life", Environmental Health Perspectives 113(2), February 2005.