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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY  2017, Vol. 32 Issue (3): 44-52    DOI: 10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2017.03.006
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A STUDY ON THE IDEALISM IN YI-FU TUAN'S TOPOPHILIA
LIU Su
School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

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Abstract  Yi-fu Tuan's book called Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values is a representative work in humanistic geography. In terms of methodology, Chinese geographers usually study humanistic geography from the perspective of phenomenology and existentialism. However, this article will focus on the other methodology called idealism in humanistic geography based on Topophila as a case. To start with, based on idealism, Yi-fu Tuan attempts to achieve a comprehensive understanding of environmental study in this book. from the normative point of human experiences and geosophy study, two perspectives calle ‘existential perspective’ and ‘situational perspective’ are integrated together. While the ‘existential perspective’ highlighting the start point of human consciousness, the ‘situational perspective’ stresses the startpoint of the environment. All the three perspectives (normative, existential and situational) form into a triangular system, based on which Topophilia can take various human experiences into account. This system leads to a comprehensive research in environmental studies. Moreover, the essential connotation of idealism in Topophilia is manifested as a circular or mandala image. This image stems from the thoughts of Plato and advocated by Jung's psychoanalytic school since the early 20th century. These thoughts contribute to Yi-fu Tuan's idealism. The circular image is in the unconsciousness of human beings according to Jung. And Yi-fu Tuan suggests that this image not only symbolizes the human continuous pursuing of ideal environments on earth, but also demonstrates in city structures throughout different areas and periods. This is the main idea of Yi-fu Tuan's city ontological thought. At present, the study of humanistic geography in China usually focuses on the distinctions among various geosophies and experiences, but always overlooks the inner common base in humanistic geography. As a result, humans are always understood as a one-dimension pattern of the whole environment. However, idealism, as the key methodology in Topophilia, definitely provides new inspirations.
Key wordsYi-fu Tuan      topophilia      idealism      humanistic geography      Carl Gustav Jung     
Received: 18 May 2016     
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http://rwdl.xisu.edu.cn/EN/10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2017.03.006      OR     http://rwdl.xisu.edu.cn/EN/Y2017/V32/I3/44
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