Medium Post 3
In the article, ‘Place,’ Lynn A. Staeheli introduces five ways to conceptualize place. She goes beyond how many traditionally view place a simple a physical location. Staeheli describes place as a physical location or site, as a cultural and/or social location, as context, as constructed over time, and as a process. Though these conceptualizations go beyond out conventional mode of thinking, her writing offers deeper insight to what a place truly is.
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When we see and experience the Underground Coffeehouse through Staeheli’s lenses, it becomes much more than a coffee shop. Viewing the Underground through the conceptualization of place as a cultural and/or social location unearths what kinds of people truly fit in. Anyone would be welcome here, but it draws in people who are less traditional — those that fit outside of the norm. The article states, “certain kinds of people or activities may be thought of as ‘belonging’ to certain kinds of places” and in the Underground, more liberal and less traditional people seem to fit this place best. A good example of this is the fact that the coffeehouse is place for evening performances of jazz jam sessions, karaoke, and open mic, where people can freely express themselves. This isn’t to say someone with more traditional views or values isn’t welcome or wouldn’t attend and enjoy. They just don’t “belong” like someone who doesn’t share those views. When defining the Underground through this lens, it really is a place for people who are non-traditional; this is the dominant group. As you can see, conceptualizing the Underground through a different lens uncovers more about what it is as a place with deeper thought and meaning.
The Underground can also be viewed through Staeheli’s conceptualization of place as a social process. Staeheli states that a place can be thought of “as [an] outcome and emphasize[s] place as [a] process, as always ‘becoming.’” In other words, a person can affect the place and the place affects the person; place is always changing, always “becoming.” When considering the Underground from this perspective, the location changes yet again. When you enter the Underground, it affects you in a way that calms and relaxes. The way the place is set up — comfy couches, old furniture, lamps — insists you come in and stay a while. I affects our actions, first off, by the fact that it is a coffee shop and we are meant to act a certain way in places like this. You order, you pick up the order, and if you stay you sit and drink or eat quietly, unless you are with someone and then you talk. We are affected by its community of practice — the unsaid way we should act in a place like this. The Underground affects us physically in the sense that we consume food and drink. But we affect the Underground too. The fact that we spend our money here helps determine if the coffeehouse stays open. Being a diverse location open to all walks of life (though it does have an unsaid criteria as explained above), as well as being a host to shows allows us to shape the dynamics of this location. Students choose to gather here and contemporary artists choose to play. This helps shape and affect the Underground. But remember this is a process, and it will change and continue to do so. Understanding this helps us to understand the Underground more.
Although Staeheli’s ideas may be hard to grasp, and even be “criticized for being overly abstract” as said in the text, conceptualizing place through these lenses is crucial to understanding fully.
