How many different aspects of the word ‘power’ can you link (interpret) to this scene?
Power is a very important concept in cultural geography. Power is defined as ‘one set of people exerting power over another set of people, nature or the landscape in order to control them’ according to Blunt, Gruffadd, May, Ogborn and Pinder (2003). Power could be classified into positive or negative.
This report looks at Newton park, which is currently owned by the Duchess of Cornwall. Power at this site has had positive effects. The main house building which was built between 1762-1765 has been a Red cross hospital during the World War One, to house the Australian and New Zealand troops. The main house had power exerting at this time to cure the wounded soldiers and shelter them. Power being used in a positive way is not about just preventing things from happening, it is also the capacity to make things happen. During the nineteenth century more than 60 suffragettes were imprisoned for their political campaign, and then later they sheltered with the Blathwayt family who inhabited Newton Park during the period. According to BBC (2010) during their stay, the women planted trees as a symbol of their hopes for political equality. There has been political power shown at Newton Park and trees are still planted at this place to show the history of the suffragette movement and reflecting on how power can make things happen.
Power is also part of social and cultural construction. Power is involved to make up identities for individuals and social groups. Power creates identities for individuals such as William Gore Langton. Langton was a merchant and trader whose ventures were very profitable not just in wealth, but also in power in Bristol. Cultural geography also explains how disproportionate power can be formed between social groups through relationship of location and landscape. William Gore Langton was a wealthy man and his power was shown in the way he had the landscape...