kohtukäsitus

Kohtukäsitus is an interdisciplinary concept used in Estonian-language discourse to describe a place-based approach to understanding social, cultural, and environmental phenomena. The central idea is that meanings, behaviors, and outcomes are shaped by the specific places where they occur, including their histories, landscapes, institutions, and social networks.

The term denotes both a mindset and a set of methods. Practitioners emphasize local context, engage with community actors, and employ place-sensitive methodologies such as field observations, case studies, participatory mapping, and situational analysis. Knowledge is often co-produced with residents, workers, and other stakeholders who inhabit the locale.

Kohtukäsitus finds use in several fields, including urban planning, geography, sociology, education, and environmental management. In practice, it supports tailored interventions, policies, and educational programs that reflect the unique characteristics and inequalities of a place, rather than applying uniform solutions.

Critics caution that a strong focus on locality can limit generalizability and hinder cross-site learning. Proponents argue that the depth of localized understanding improves relevance and legitimacy. The concept is related to broader ideas such as place-based education, place-making, and contextual analysis, and it is often discussed alongside debates about scale, transferability, and participatory governance.