Built Environment and Identity: A Study of Ethnic Minority Settlements in Guizhou and Hunan Provinces, China

Zhu, Yuxuan (2022) Built Environment and Identity: A Study of Ethnic Minority Settlements in Guizhou and Hunan Provinces, China. Master thesis.

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Abstract

China is a multi-ethnic country with 55 formally acknowledged ethnic minority groups, providing diverse opportunities to travel to traditional ethnic minority settlements. Due to tourism development, the historical environments of these destinations have been or are being changed. These environmental changes might harm local heritages and result in the loss of place identity for indigenous people. Through online semi-structured interviews, this study explores how built environments and their changes affect indigenous’ perceptions of place identity in their settlements in Guizhou and Hunan Provinces from five aspects: attachment, familiarity, continuity, self-esteem and distinctiveness. The study found that the main environmental changes in ethnic minority settlements include infrastructure construction, expansion of bungalows and pseudo-classic architectures and the renewal of historic buildings. Indigenous tend to show positive attitudes toward these changes. Besides, the function of built environments to carry individual memories and local history has become the primary source of familiarity and belonging for indigenous, which helps them build identification with their settlements. Changes to the traditional landscapes and the decline in the social use of public spaces can lead to a decline in the sense of identity of the indigenous population.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Degree programme:	Spatial Sciences (Research)
Supervisor:	Groote, P.D.
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2022 08:44
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2023 09:16
URI:	https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4053

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