Psychogeographical experience between the self and the place

Mohd Fadhli  Shah Khaidzir; Ruzy Suliza  Hashim; Noraini  Md. Yusof

doi:10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp243-263

Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir School of Education and Social Sciences, Management and Science University, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7873-7000
Ruzy Suliza Hashim Centre for Research on Language and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6574-5167
Noraini Md. Yusof Centre for Research on Language and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp243-263

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The absence of psychogeographical awareness is a critical factor contributing to the lackadaisical attitudes towards the place and its environment. As a result, it enables an individual to fully experience a location, both physically and intellectually, while also gaining a feeling of self-discovery and self-realisation.

Methodology: The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of a group of individuals who participated in a field observation. 40 participants from a Malaysian university's foundation level were brought to Malacca to experience the environment's geographical scenery at their own leisure. The survey data was then manually transcribed and analysed in accordance with the study's aim.

Findings: Interactions with individuals and observation of features in the countryside and urban surroundings enabled participants to go on a psychogeographical journey that influenced their way of thinking and behaving. All participants felt that the journey had influenced their experiences and perspectives on their thinking and behaviour, highlighting the critical role of this notion in establishing the connection between place and self.

Contributions: The findings of this study provide a solid foundation for future research in the field of psychogeography. The data may be used as a baseline for future studies to determine whether a comparable impact exists in other locations, with or without significant features like those found in Malacca.

Keywords: Psychogeography, place attachment, place meaning, self-discovery, Malacca.

Author Biographies

Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir, School of Education and Social Sciences, Management and Science University, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir is a lecturer at the School of Education and Social Sciences, Management and Sciences University (MSU). He is currently a Ph.D candidate at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Ruzy Suliza Hashim, Centre for Research on Language and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Ruzy Suliza Hashim (Ph.D) is currently the Director of UKM Press. She is also a Professor of Literature at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her book Out of the Shadows: Women in Malay Court Narratives won the National Book Award in 2005.

Noraini Md. Yusof, Centre for Research on Language and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Noraini Md. Yusof (Ph.D) is an Associate Professor and currently the Deputy Director at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her areas of interest include history and literature, visual culture as well as creative writing. She has short stories published locally and internationally.

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