Beyond cultural relativism? Tim Ingold's "ontology of dwelling"

Abstract

Tim Ingold has emerged as perhaps the most interesting theoretician of Man-Environment relations. This essay traces the intellectual history of the study of environmental perceptions and Ingolds rejection of the notion that culture "informs" our perception of the environment. Through a critical review of this position the essay considers the strength - and weaknesses - of Ingolds theoretical programme, and analyzes the concept "ontology of dwelling" which signals Ingolds break with a language-centred epistemology and his links to Heidegger's phenomenology.