Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Competition Expressed: Marking Places Within Rural And Urban Landscapes, Ralph J. Hartley, Sharon L. Kennedy

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

The extent to which marking places with images, symbols and/or script on a landscape reflect the dynamics of a socio-economic environment continues to be a subject of interest in social science. Places become socio-culturally meaningful often because of the content of the markings on non-portable surfaces. In some contexts the information content of the markings reveal a perception of propriety when competition for space or other resources between groups and non-kin related individuals characterizes a social environment. In other contexts the content of markings reflect competition between individuals for resources, status, or prestige. Urban environments, dense with diverse human activities, …