Abstract
“Nature” is one of the culturally most loaded concepts. It is one of the central concepts for human understanding and structuring of the surroundings (Glacken, 1967). The concept of nature is deeply embedded in our understanding of the world, so deep that we seldom reflect its central role in our thinking. With impulses from symbol theory (Elias, 1991), environmental history (Berntsen, 1994; Nash, 1982) and social sciences (Berger and Luckmann, 1987), this article examines nature, not as a physical reality, but as a symbol of ideas, norms and values in society. “Nature” is understood and interpreted in a historical, social and cultural context.
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Nynas, H. (2010). Water as a Symbol of National Identity in Norway. In: Integrated Watershed Management. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3769-5_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3769-5_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3768-8
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3769-5
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