Oldal 36 [36]
ELIZABETH TROTT
British Columbia as they are in downtown Toronto. Understanding identity in
these ways crosses boundaries of race and religion, cultural hyphenations and
animosities that some cultures continue to promote.
Sharing similar experiences, not focusing on differences, can begin to
generate common grounds for some meanings when participating in the same
event, such as hiking in Canada’s national parks, or discussing how to make
pierogies. Exposed to subtle adaptations in meanings, we learn more options
for understanding activities and events. When identity can be connected to
freely chosen activities, a synthesis for uniting multiple different activities is
required, and that would be a sense of place.
CONCLUSION — THE METAPHYSICAL CONCEPT OF PLACE
To understand the concept of place, idealist metaphysics is once again helpful.
“By place, I mean a construct of ideas that marks out a sense of self, and
opportunity for personal agency. We identify places visually, teleologically
and through stories... the location ofa significant mental, emotional, physical,
or spiritual event (usually some combination of the above) occurs.”®
The event contributes to our sense of identity and its location becomes
a place. Think of the number of expressions regarding place: to know one’s
place, to take a place, find a place, feel out of place, etc.
Place has played a role in multiple inquiries and cultures. The Dance of
Person and Place, One Interpretation of American Indigenous Philosophy
explores the role of place in many indigenous cultures.”° Places are defined by
performative dance and recitations. To a person not knowing these cultural
places they might only see some trees or a rock. Lack of knowledge has caused
serious harm to some cultural groups.
Some places come into existence with our activities, perhaps the hockey
rink when the first goal was scored; other places acquire significance as we
learn more about them, perhaps discovering that one’s grandfather helped
design and build the Ontario hydro system.”
Places can be identified in moments and monuments of significance in the
lives of individuals, cultures and nation-states. The Vimy Ridge monument in
68 Trott, Western Mindscapes, 645.
® Tony Hiss, The Experience of Place, New York, Vintage Book, Random House, 1990. Hiss
explores ‘place’ through the perspectives of those both living in and designing urban spaces.
Thomas M. Norton Smith, The Dance of Person and Place, One Interpretation of American
Indigenous Philosophy, New York, SUNY, 2010.
One of my grandfathers worked on that project.
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