Meanings of the Built Environment

This book will approach the interpretation of the built environment by connecting analytical frames developed in the fields of semiotics and geography. It will focus on specific components of the built environment: monuments and memorials, because it is easily recognisable and publicised that they are erected to promote specific meanings in the public space. Specifically, the book will concentrate on monuments and memorials in post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe, with a focus on Estonia. Elites in post-Soviet countries have often used monuments and memorials to shape meanings reflecting the needs of post-Soviet culture and society. However, individuals can interpret monuments and memorials in ways that are different from those envisioned by their designers. For example, in Estonia the relocation and removal of Soviet monuments and the erection of new ones has often created political divisions and resulted in civil disorder. This book will examine the potential gap between the designers' expectations and the users' interpretations of monuments and memorials. The main argument will be that connecting semiotics and geography can provide an innovative framework to understand how monuments and memorials convey meanings and how these are variously interpreted at societal levels.