L’étude des paysages en France. Eléments d’histoire

• Main Author: Jean-René Trochet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography 2004-09-01
• Series: Belgeo
• Subjects: France; landscape; spatial analysis; society; history; symbolism
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/13664

In France landscape research was developed between the two World Wars involving both disciplines of geography and history. The main focus was upon the history of the rural landscapes. Since the 1970s new approaches were developed in particular in geography. One of them was spatial analysis that was detached from the social studies and became almost an autonomous discipline that was soon linked to GIS. Thus, geography became a discipline that provided many others disciplines with models. Another approach in landscape studies was focussing upon the relations between landscape and the representation many social actors made of it. Simultaneously the concept landscape was broadened significantly. Recently, historians regained interest in the landscape, partially based upon the experience of the geographers. Results from the landscape research became gradually integrated in the legislation and in centres and institutions with a rather large public interest.