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Questions about theming

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Commercial building in the Santa Fe adobe style

The definition of theme involves three components: doubled self-presentation, a reference to a unified meaning elsewhere, and a contrast with the ordinary everyday. Here are some questions, listed below, and some cases that put pressure on these components:

  1. It is not possible to theme all places at once.
  2. A whole city or nation could not be mono-themed.
  3. A whole city or nation could be multi-themed, but the themes would not be stable.
  4. A city become deeply multi-cultural would not automatically theme all its places, and special themed places would still be possible.
  5. Theming does not demand a single cultural hegemony to provide background contrast.