关键词: 地理想象, 流动的现代性, 多元空间, 时空进程, 混杂, 第三空间, 地方意义

Abstract:

With the help of Zygmunt Bauman's analytical conceptual tool of “liquid modernity”, the research focuses on “geographical imagination”, a typical cultural geographical phenomenon, to analyze the two mixed states of multiple spaces in the same space-time context, trying to reinterpret the multiple mutual-construction of Tibetan place meaning from the perspective of liquidity. Taking Tibet as an example, this research preliminarily verifies the following two theoretical conjectures: (1) The first hybrid state of geographical imagination: before arriving in Tibet, individuals tend to imagine the unexplored Tibet space on the basis of the real space. It is precisely because the “presence” of reality is always mixed with the “absence” of imaginary space, which leads to some flows that change the relationship between man and land, such as “I want to go to Tibet to see in the flesh” or “I want to feel and touch there closely”. (2) As for the second hybrid state: after arriving in Tibet, individuals see a cruel fact that Tibet space under the real “physical contact” is unfamiliar and different from the imaginary space under the poetic description. Therefore, the hybrid state of the multiple spaces in the same space-time context makes tourists, a typical modern group of mankind, generate a certain geographical illusion, as if they were “trapped” in another new modernity process again. Therefore, modern people begin to reflect the life value and life meaning of the modernity in a new “third space” by connecting themselves with places. In particular, this research focuses on the multiple mutual-construction of Tibetan place meaning, that is, how individuals transform the “cold” Tibetan space into the “warm” Tibetan space. Specifically, at the beginning of the second hybrid state, although modern people can effectively separate Tibet from other spaces to a certain extent, the Tibetan space at this moment is not essentially “the center of the meaning constructed by personal experience” as Tuan believes. Furthermore, the transformation from the original Tibetan space to the meaningful Tibetan place is required to be carried out through the personal poetic expression. Hence, the imagination serves as a kind of complete power, embedding personal experience and self-narration into Tibet. In other words, due to the dual intervention of “liquidity and imagination”, the connection between individual and the place helps the modern groups to reinterpret themselves as the self-historical narratives of themselves, and answer “what does this place mean to me”. Finally, a Tibet marked with geographical location and personal identity is internalized into the place meaning of those modern people. The research conclusion reveals modern people's reflection on liquidized modern life hidden behind the meaning composition of the Tibetan place, which makes a new interpretation of the concept of geographical imagination from an academic point of view.

Key words: geographical imagination, liquid modernity, multiple spaces, space-time context, hybrid, third space, place meaning