The loss of placeness in “Fence”: based on an ethnographic study in the northern pastoral areas of China

Research on rural “placeness” usually focuses on settled agricultural communities. However, another form of countryside – pastoral areas – hahas been largely overlooked, despite their distinct social structures and local conditions compared to those of agricultural societies. Through a three-month ethnographic survey, I examined the loss of placeness and its root causes in northern pastoral areas of China since the introduction of fenced grazing. As a derivative of the Grassland and Livestock Contract Responsibility System, fenced grazing has transformed northern pastoral areas from collective nomadism to individual settlement and fixed grazing. Research conducted in Damao Banner, Inner Mongolia, indicates that the placeness of northern pastoral areas has declined since the introduction of fenced grazing. Traditional landscape symbols have disappeared, while herders have been separated from traditional nomadic practices, resulting in their bodies and spirits falling into unstable “placeless” state. Their initial experiences and perceptions of “place” are being altered, and their sense of belonging to this place is dissipating. The root causes of this loss lie in social fragmentation, a new type of population “re-mobility”, ecological crises, livelihood vulnerabilities, and the dissolution of traditional spiritual culture.