For centuries, Western societies thought of wilderness as a barren, desolate place that harboured temptation and
sin. Over the last hundred and fifty years, a marked shift has occurred in Western perception of this so-called
savage place; it has become revered, protected, and even worshipped. What was once the Devil's playground is
now thought to provide a locus of spiritual regeneration and hope for the future. In North America, this pronounced
shift is thought to coincide with notions of the sublime and the frontier.
This study explores the perceptions of wilderness among Chinese Canadian immigrants in British Columbia,
people who have been less influenced by concepts of the sublime and frontier. It examines closely the idea that
wilderness today is a self-evident construct that holds across most inhabitants of the province. Instead, ideas
about wilderness held by people who have immigrated from China, similar to the ideas held by early immigrants
from Europe, are influenced by tradition (especially Confucianism, Taoism, and, more recently, Maoism), space
(i.e. coming from densely populated areas), and language.
Through this study, it has become apparent that the language and discourse surrounding wilderness in Canada
is markedly different from that of Chinese Canadian immigrants. While the language and meaning of wilderness,
as referred to in Western society, is assumed relatively easily for interviewees, the identification with moral and
aesthetic responses common to discussions of wilderness in North America is much less likely to manifest itself.
Wilderness, which represented barrenness and desolation to interviewees when they lived in China, has come to
represent forests, mountains, animals, and lack of human influence. What previously had different philosophical
meaning, now, in a cognitive sense, represents beauty and, potentially, a locus of spirituality.
The results of this study have important consequences for decision-making in cross-cultural environments.
Policy surrounding wilderness or environmental preservation may be without meaning or relevance to new
immigrants, who bring with them shared meanings and relationships to nature that may or may not be incongruous
with Canadian environmental policy. In facing such debates, it is crucial to understand the perceptions of various
players and how those ideas are linked to tradition, language, and the geography of the familiar. It is also critical
to ask - What is wilderness and why are we protecting it above all else? / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/12865 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Geddes, Bronwen Claire |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 7398096 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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