Place is security, space is

freedom

-Yi-Fu Tuan

In a Nutshell

born in China on 5 December 1930

AttendedUniversity College, London
graduated from theUniversity of Oxfordwith a
B.A. and M.A. in 1951 and 1955 respectively.
Received hisPh.D.in 1957 from theUniversity
of California, Berkeley.

Career
Toronto between 1966-1968 teaching
atUniversity of Toronto.
Became a full professor at
theUniversity of Minnesotain 1968 and
there began his focus on humanistic
geography.
Describes the difference between
human geographyandhumanistic

'Dear
Colleague' letter
geographyin a2004

Career

After fourteen years at the University of

Minnesota moved toMadison, Wisconsinand
continued his professional career atUniversity of
WisconsinMadison (19851998).

Elected as a Fellow of the American Association in

1986, of theBritish Academyin 2001 and of
theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin
2002.

Awarded theCullum Geographical Medalby

theAmerican Geographical Societyin 1987.

Emeritusprofessor at the University of WisconsinMadison.

Impetus at Childhood
Childhood Hero- Detective Sherlock
Holmes
But why?
Tuan considered him a superb
geographer was that Sherlock always
could find his way, whether in the
backstreets of London and Chicago or
in the wilds of Utah and Tibet

Impetus
Geographers always know where they are,
dont they? They always have a map
somewhere- either in their backpack or in their
head
Tuan, 1983

Yi-Fu Tuan, Orientation: An Approach to Human Geography, Journal of

Geography 82, no. 1 (1983): 11-14.

Genre
Geomorphology the study of landforms at
Oxford
Earth Science Tradition
Positivist Approach

Human Geography with Carl Sauer at

University of California
Man Land Tradition
Humanistic Approach

Humanistic Geography and Tuan

most influential geographer for the humanistic geography.

Wrote about 15 books and published numerous papers generally of a reflective

and thought-provoking kind.

Very much defining humanistic geography

Redefined our understanding of human geography as the study of humanenvironment relation-ships,

fundamentally defined by and in relation to the world and our relationship to it,
both physical and emotional (an interpretation of

phenomenology).

(P. Hubbard e.o. 2004, p. 306, 307)

Hubbard P., Kitchin R. & Valentine G. (2004), Key Thinkers onSpace and Place,

London: Sage Publications Limited

Topophilia, 1974
What are the links between environment and world view?
Topophilia, the affective bond between people and place, is the
primary theme of this book

Topophilia love of place

Topophobia fear of place

Distinctive mark between place and space

PLACENESS,PLACE,PLACELESSNESS

Space & Place, 1977

A study of the ways in which people feel and think about
space, how they form attachments to home, neighborhood,
and nation, and how feelings about space and place are
affected by the sense of time

Definition of Space & Place

Space

Absolute

Relative

Relational

Place

Landscape of Fear, 1979

To be human is to experience fear, but

what is it exactly that makes us
fearful? Landscapes of Fearwritten
immediately after his classic Space
and Place

Dominance and affection: the making of pets, 1984

a masterful job exploring the condescending human treatment of animals as

'playthings' that exist only for our entertainment

Mainstream geography, but mainstream with twist

Mainstream:

How human have transformed the earth (amass power,

temper natures harshness, produce food, more
economical)

Twist:

More aesthetic than economic

Treatment of nature for purpose of pleasure and art

Which one is eye soothing and beautiful? Cattle yoked to

plow or potted garden like bonsai?

Romance Geography,
2013
Geography is useful, indeed necessary,
to survival. Everyone must know where
to find food, water, and a place of rest,
and, in the modern world, all must
make an effort to make the Earthour
homehabitable.