Abstract
The physical landscape has historically played a vital role in defining a polity to people, but modern states have not adjusted it to the needs of the Information Age. We argue that the information revolution necessitates landscape's use as commu-nication equity, in an environment which is radically reappraising the sovereignty, identity and legitimacy of established polities. Ideas of legitimacy, cultural values and norms are tied up with the fundamental connection people feel to their physi-cal landscape. The potent relationship between geography, statehood and com-munication to convey legitimacy and shared values is insufficiently grasped. History suggests the value of using physical landscape to project states to virtual communi-ties. The changing communication relationship between landscape and polities is discussed, and we propose that - because of new media - future state identity, and legitimacy, must be managed in part by a return to historical, often pre-modern approaches that deploy landscape's emotional power. Landscape's use as commu-nication equity therefore remains important as an agent for bonding polities to communities. Keywords: Landscape; strategy; culture; values; states; legitimacy; identity; history
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 263-277 |
| Journal | European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management |
| Volume | Special Issue on: "Strategic Cultural Intelligence and Intentional Action" |
| Issue number | Vol. 4, Nos. 3/4, |
| State | Published - 2017 |