Socknen - den plats vi är
En studie om platsuppfattning i Ydre kommun
The term socken ? comparable to the English term parish ? refers to a historical geographical entity found in rural areas of Scandinavia. This entity presents a multi-layered understanding of the local rural area and is in this essay conceptualized as a place. The concept of place is central to geographic work but it is also a contested term ? discourses within the field of geography present different perspectives on place as a geographical concept and our understanding of it.The history of parishes goes centuries back. The parish has throughout this period of time become an essential part of the local rural geography, in the 20th century however, the parish ? as an autonomous rural entity ? has been abandoned for larger administrative areas resulting in changes in the local geography in rural spaces. The concept of the parish is however not easily made rid of: it is still viewed as a relevant part of the conceptualization of the local and the man-land relationship.The understanding of what makes out the local area and its significance is a relevant inquiry. This essay explores the parish as a geographical place considering the multi-layered aspects of the concept and the different understandings of place represented by diverse geographical discourses. A field study carried out in the rural municipality of Ydre in east Sweden explores the construction of the local area by understanding the parish as place.