Rethinking Community Research: Inter-relationality, Communal Being and Commonality

238 Pages·2016·4.115 MB·English

by  David Studdert, Valerie Walkerdine (auth.)

RETHINKING
COMMUNITY
RESEARCH
Inter-relationality, Communal
Being and Commonality
David Studdert and Valerie Walkerdine
Rethinking Community Research

David   Studdert • Valerie   Walkerdine
Rethinking
Community Research
Inter-relationality, Communal Being
and Commonality
David   Studdert Valerie   Walkerdine
School of Social Sciences School of Social Sciences
Cardiff University Cardiff University
Cardiff , United Kingdom Cardiff , United Kingdom
ISBN 978-1-137-51452-3 ISBN 978-1-137-51453-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-51453-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016948414
© Th e Editor(s) (if applicable) and Th e Author(s) 2016
Th e author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Th is work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of
illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and trans-
mission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
Th e use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Th e publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
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Cover illustration: © Stuart Burford / Alamy Stock Photo
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Th is Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature
Th e registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London
We dedicate this book absolutely and wholeheartedly to the wonderful people
of Market-Town who exemplifi ed communal being-ness and held out for us
the possibility of experiencing and understanding just what it might mean.
To their generosity and kindness. Th ere are particular people who helped us
a great deal and whom we cannot name because of our need to protect the
anonymity of the town, but they know who they are and we thank them
from the bottom of our hearts.

Acknowledgements
We must acknowledge fi rst and foremost the people of Market-Town to
whom we have dedicated the book.
Many people from that town were part of the projects that we organ-
ised. Th ese projects were funded by the Arts and Humanities Research
Council Connected Communities (AHRC) and Cultural Value pro-
grammes, and we gratefully acknowledge their support for the following
grants, out of which this book grew.
For some of those grants, other co-investigators were an essential part
of the project teams: Graham Crow, Niamh Moore, Ian Hargreaves and
Sally Mackey. For their considerable input, we remain incredibly grateful.
Th ey are not, however, responsible for the writing and views presented in
this volume, for which the authors take full responsibility. We should also
thank Keri Facer and the Connected Communities team. Keri was inde-
fatigable in support of the work of this programme, and she contributed
a great deal to making it as good a programme as it was. Th e staff of the
AHRC section devoted to this programme should also be mentioned in
gratitude for their always helpful and supportive presence.
B oth authors would also like to thank the School of Social Sciences at
Cardiff University, who have been unfailingly supportive of our commit-
ment to research and to this trajectory of work in particular. Th ere has
been generosity of spirit which has been really appreciated.
vii

Contents
Part I Setting Out the Analytic 1
1 Building the Analytic 3
2 How Can We Th ink About Social Activity? 27
Part II Developing the Analytic and Exploring Market-Town 49
3 Plurality and the Space of Appearance 51
4 Meanings-in-Common 75
5 Th e Web of Relations 95
6 Space, Geography and Social Power 127
ix