Material landscape, symbolic landscape, and identity in the municipality of Castelo de Vide

Abstract

This article addresses the impact of landscape and social identity on contemporary transformations and the reinvention of rural space in Castelo de Vide (North Alentejo region, Portugal). We describe a multidisciplinary research method combining anthropology and geography, and present the findings obtained. Combining a landscape typology with personal narratives of place — social-cum-spatial differentiation — allows us to explore relationships between landscape and local identity as a dynamic process in the region.