A visual ethnography of competing conceptions of space

and place in one locality

Dr. Katy VigursSchool of Education,

Staffordshire Universityk.vigurs@staffs.ac.uk

Desperately Seeking Community Learning

Key questions:1. In what place and space did the

research take place?2. Who was ‘desperately seeking

community learning’ (or ‘community’ and ‘learning’)?

3. What was the role of ethnography (or ethnographies)?

4. What did the ethnography(ies) achieve?5. What were the limits of the

ethnography (or the ethnographer!)?

In what place and space did the research take

place?Welcome to the Parish of

Broadley

The Parish of Broadley

Broadley Vision

Partnership

Territorial

Army

Parish

Council

Theatre

Church

Group

Scouts

Family

History

Gardening

Rotary

Club

Flower arrangi

ng

Cricket

Club

Running

Club

Ladies’

Choir

Youth Bus

Introducing Broadley VisionAlan

Ronnie

Howard

Ann Broadley Council Building (vacant)

Broadley Vision’s visionTo develop a ‘communications and access to

learning centre’ in the parish.Based on naïve, romantic and simplistic notions of

community – and what was ‘needed’ by a particular community.

Rationale for basing project in Broadley was opaque and imprecise – in fact, partners’ rationales were different and stemmed from different motives.

However, BV sought to construct a social and economic deficit in Broadley, which would authenticate using the empty Broadley Council Building to set up a community learning centre.

Ethnographies produced?1. An ethnography of the operation and trajectory of

the Broadley Vision partnership (through observation and semi-structured interviews over 24 months).

2. An ethnography of belonging and community within Broadley (through separate photo-elicitation projects and semi-structured group interviews with each community group over 4 months):

Ladies’ Choir Running Club Youth Bus

Parallel ethnographies? Or an ethnography within an

ethnography?

Why develop an additional community ethnography?

To inform and challenge……BV’s assumptions about community.…BV’s assumptions about learning.…BV’s assumptions about ‘a

community’s learning needs’.To impact positively and formatively on

the development of the community learning centre.

Knowledge produced through the community ethnography

Ladies ChoirLongstanding physical and emotional connections to place – unquestioning and intrinsic sense of belonging - local lineage and personal history built into surroundings.Overlapping memberships of many local groups – the relationships that were enacted in formal spaces within the place of Broadley produced strongest sense of belonging.Lamenting perceived community change over time. Spaces and places are dynamic. Newcomers and their ‘non-participation’. Issues of integration and interaction.

Knowledge produced through the community ethnography

Running ClubNewcomers, interlopers, outsiders – place of choice – what makes you a ‘local’? Buying a house and using local services is not enough.Perceived inequity of community support for local groups’ activities. Access to reciprocal local relations.Accessing hidden, less-known local spaces and places through running. Connection to local geography. Experiencing the locality in ways that others did not. Acquiring knowledge of local history – process of belonging that does not rely on building relationships with others.

Knowledge produced through the community ethnography

Youth BusThe place of community was narrower. Own criteria governing what areas counted as their community.Nomadic practices. Conducting their friendships across a number of temporary, informal sites and safe spaces.Their sense of belonging was changing and broadening. Extending sense of community over time. Escaping Broadley.

Belonging to BroadleyDifferent definitions of Broadley – what places

and spaces count (and which do not) Participants in all three groups felt they belongedPractices of belonging differed

Produced an understanding of how a local community is perceived and experienced differently.

Seeing the place through other eyes afforded a de-homogenising of community.

Missed ethnographic opportunity?

The two ethnographies raised questions about the nature, approach and sustainability of the BV intervention.

BV didn’t know how to use the knowledge produced by the community ethnography .

Were not prepared to have their assumptions challenged (also, partners’ assumptions were different).

Were not prepared to develop or learn new and different approaches to working with local residents.

At the time, I didn’t know how to support them to change their approach – blurring of researcher/practitioner role.