DOCSLIB.ORG

Phd Coversheet April 2012

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Phd Coversheet April 2012 This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. The Explicitness of the Everyday: Pursuing Meaningful Lives in the Context of Intentional Community in the Northwest United States Heather Lynes PhD in Social Anthropology University of Edinburgh 2010 I declare that this thesis is entirely my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. 2 Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to the four people without whom this journey would simply have been impossible. Each of you, in your own way, has been an essential part of making this happen. To Mom, for supporting me unendingly, unquestioningly and unconditionally To Akshay, for knowing I could do this long before I knew it myself To Neil, for giving me a chance and supervising me with warmth and dedication To Gethin, for being my companion every step of the way First and foremost, I‟d like to say a huge “thank you” to each and every person whom I met during my fourteen months of residence at “Cedar River”. You all shared your lives with me, without hesitation, and I will always feel grateful for the experiences I had while living amongst you all. I hope at least some of you are able to find something of use in this thesis, even if it‟s nothing more than a trigger for a forgotten memory that brings a smile to your face. I can not express enough love and gratitude for the members of my family, extended and otherwise. Each and every one of you has been endlessly supportive and encouraging. Especially… To Melissa who always expressed interest in knowing my dreams and fears, and continued to cheer me on right until the very end. To Mom and Dad who believed in my abilities throughout. To Lillian who is a constant reminder of all the good things in life. To Giles and Nell who remained enthusiastic about my work despite the fact that it kept their son on the other side of the planet. To each of my grandparents for being incredible influences. To Pia who has shown me how truly incredible friends can be. And to Gethin who has shown me the very depths of love and support in his daily quest to stand by my side on this journey. Throughout my time at the University of Edinburgh, an amazing bunch of people have helped to make this process an enjoyable one. It began with the group of 10 of us: Akshay, Anne-Laure, Fang, Kim, Kim, Louise, Nichola, Stuart, and Zeng-siu – each of you is dear to my heart. Kelly, Lucy and Pauline – I couldn‟t have asked for 3 better friends and thesis-writing role models wrapped into one incredible package. Richard – Thanks for all the good times, insane and otherwise. Brandi – You bring a smile to my face and warmth into my soul every time I see you. Sylvia – Having you here this last year has been a blessing in more ways than one. And Neil and Alan – Both of you gave your time and energy without fail and I will feel forever grateful for each and every comment. From August 2008, I‟ve had the pleasure of working with a bunch of wonderful people at Blackwell. In particular, Micha, Carolyne, Rachel, Callum, Julie and James have provided endless hours of encouragement, not to mention the warmth and friendship received from Rebecca, Ann and Claire… and Izi and Nathan, whose friendships extended well beyond the workplace. James Wirth deserves a unique „thank you‟, as his encouragement and respect for my way of thinking about the world has helped me to keep believing in myself. Finally, to all my other friends and dear ones around the world – who are too numerous to name – thanks for loving me and reminding me why life is beautiful. 4 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 3 Abstract .................................................................................................................. 8 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 9 What is intentional community? ..........................................................................10 Intentional Community in Social Scientific Thought ...........................................16 History of Intentional Community in The United States ..................................16 What About the „Mainstream‟ .............................................................................20 How Do We Define Meaningful Lives? ..............................................................23 Beliefs, Values and Morals ..............................................................................27 Everyday Lives – A Theoretical Approach ..........................................................29 The Field Site ......................................................................................................32 A Brief Note on Language...............................................................................39 Methodology and Positioning in the Field ...........................................................40 Thesis Overview .................................................................................................44 Emergent Themes – Self and Identity ..................................................................46 Some of Final Points ...........................................................................................47 Chapter One: The Conceptualisation and Actualisation of ‘Community’ .........49 What Do We Mean When We Say “Community”? ..............................................49 Residents‟ Conceptions of Community ...............................................................54 Multiple Meanings, A Shared Symbolic Form .....................................................59 „Community‟ and Selfhood .................................................................................62 Realising Community in the Eyes of the Community ..........................................65 Realising Community Through Everyday Activities ............................................68 Work Party ......................................................................................................68 Consensus Decision-Making ...........................................................................70 Cecilia .............................................................................................................71 Place for Community ..........................................................................................72 The Ideal Setting .................................................................................................74 Belonging to Place and Calling it Home ..............................................................78 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................80 Chapter Two: Intimacy as Central to Sociality: Negotiating Interpersonal Relationships .........................................................................................................81 Intimate Encounters ............................................................................................82 The Concept of Intimacy .....................................................................................84 Conceptualising the „Self‟ ...................................................................................86 Intimacy as Central to Sociality ...........................................................................87 Public Friendships, Meaningful Experiences .......................................................90 Let‟s Talk About Sex ..........................................................................................95 Polyamory .......................................................................................................96 Confusion, Curiosity, Jealousy and Fear ..............................................................99 Intimacy as Bodily Practice .................................................................................99 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 103 Chapter Three: Organisational Matters: Consensus Decision-Making and the Threat of Bureaucracy ........................................................................................ 104 A Variety of Meetings ....................................................................................... 105 Core Group ................................................................................................... 106 5 Intention Circle ............................................................................................. 108 Committee Meetings ..................................................................................... 109 Board
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Econ 243: Political Economy of Gender, Race, and Class
    THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GENDER, RACE AND CLASS Economics 243, Wellesley College, Spring 2015 Professor Julie Matthaei Office Hours: Economics Department Thurs. 5:30-6:30 PNE 423, x2181 & by appointment Emily Grandjean, Teaching Assistant The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles. -- Mahatma Gandhi Objectivity is male subjectivity, made unquestionable. --Adrienne Rich No problem can be solved by the level of consciousness that created it. --Albert Einstein Be the change you want to see in the world. --Mahatma Gandhi Youth should be radical. Youth should demand change in the world. Youth should not accept the old order if the world is to move on. But the old orders should not be moved easily — certainly not at the mere whim or behest of youth. There must be clash and if youth hasn’t enough force or fervor to produce the clash the world grows stale and stagnant and sour in decay. --William Allen White If to change ourselves is to change our worlds, and the relation is reciprocal, then the project of history making is never a distant one but always right here, on the borders of our sensing, thinking, feeling, moving bodies. --J.K. Gibson-Graham Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. --Martin Luther King Give a man a gun, he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Exercises Final Edit
    _______________________________________________________ THE SIMPLICITY EXERCISES A SOURCEBOOK FOR SIMPLICITY EDUCATORS Mark A Burch Simplicity Institute Report 12k, 2012 SPECIAL ISSUE ____________________ SIMPLICITY INSTITUTE PRAISE FOR THE SIMPLICITY EXERCISES: Mark Burch is the real deal—it’s evident from The Simplicity Exercises that he’s spent a lifetime integrating simple living principles into his own life, and luckily for the rest of us, has developed and honed exercises to help others do the same. Seasoned voluntary simplicity facilitators will appreciate how thorough and well-presented these activities are. In fact, the material is so well-thought out that informal educators new to simple living could use Mark’s book with confidence. If you’re ready to change your game plan or help others do so, this book ofers real transformative opportunities. C. Jones, M. Div., Adult Educator and Simple Living Enthusiast Refraining from adding to the critique of current social, economic and ecological challenges, Burch makes a notable shift towards positive social transformation, opting to share the rewards and potentials of simple living with others rather than additional criticism and analysis of contemporary problems. … The sourcebook is therefore an important and valuable resource for all educators or individuals interested in exploring simplicity further,.. Natalie Swayze, Research Associate, Centre for Indigenous Science Education, The University of Winnipeg In The Simplicity Exercises, Burch provides us with a path through that mental barrier [to transformative change] with comprehensive and well-thought-out group thought- experiments and exercises. Drawing from years of real-world experience, the book provides us a path beyond fear, critique and common despair-ridden questions about how to move forward to solve the challenges of our time.
    [Show full text]
  • The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and Ecoterrorism Thomas J
    Fordham University Masthead Logo DigitalResearch@Fordham Student Theses 2015-Present Environmental Studies Spring 5-15-2016 Controlling What Is Wild: The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and Ecoterrorism Thomas J. Levendosky Fordham University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fordham.bepress.com/environ_2015 Recommended Citation Levendosky, Thomas J., "Controlling What Is Wild: The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and Ecoterrorism" (2016). Student Theses 2015-Present. 33. https://fordham.bepress.com/environ_2015/33 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Environmental Studies at DigitalResearch@Fordham. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Theses 2015-Present by an authorized administrator of DigitalResearch@Fordham. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Controlling What Is Wild The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and Ecoterrorism Thomas Levendosky Environmental Studies 4000: Senior Thesis May 15, 2016 1 Abstract This thesis examines the extremist side of the environmental activism commonly known as ecoterrorism, and the subsequent implications of categorizing criminal activism as terrorism. Groups such as Earth First!, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), and the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF) strive to protect the natural world from the detrimental impacts of industrialization. Activists affiliated with these groups endorse direct action against environmentally harmful enterprises. Extremists are motivated by the belief that they are on the frontline defending the defenseless. They hope to dissuade corporations and government agencies from exploiting the natural world by exposing unethical practices and causing economic damage. The strategy of direct action can involve sabotaging of industrial equipment (monkeywrenching), arson, and tree spiking. Direct action also promotes nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to obstruct industrial development.
    [Show full text]
  • Jellied Eel Issue 26
    Shock! London’s local pubs serving good grub Feeding the 5000 with food waste London’s going back down the market ISSUE 26 2009 WINTER FREE LONDON’S PUDDINGS * SCHOOLS GROWING FOOD * LORD MAYOR’S TRIFLE PRODUCE MARKET We believe in championing small, local producers and helping to make their produce available to everyone at a fair price. We source responsibly and respect the seasons. We’re independent and we like working with independent producers. '2%%.'2/#%2s!24)3!."2%!$0!342)%3s&2%%2!.'%-%!4s 3534!).!",9#!5'(4&)3(s#(%%3%#(!2#54%2)%s7).% "%%2 #)$%2s*5)#%3-//4()%3s-/.-/54(#/&&%%s0,53&//$ !.$$2).+4/(!6%!44(%4!",% /.4(%'//24!+%(/-% /&&(!-0%23!43/52#%$-!2+%4 Present your copy of *%,,)%$%%,ATTHEMARKETORQUOTEIFORDERINGBYEMAIL 6ALIDUNTIL\Email [email protected] for our brochure &).$533T0ANCRAS)NTERNATIONAL\-ONTO&RIAM PM\3ATAM PM\3UNAM PM 7773/52#%$-!2+%4#/- Say hello to the TUCK IN! Bulletin 04 Shop Window: Hand Made Food 07 jellied Around Town 08 Feature: London’s local pubs 10 On the Menu: Sarah Moore 12 eel... Capital Growth: Schools 15 Local to London: Aunt Alice Puddings 17 Taste of London: Lord Mayor’s trifle 18 While many Londoners will be Cambridge, we were pleased to hear from preparing for somewhat frugal Tristram Stuart, author of Waste, in one of Reader’s Kitchen: Janice Hammond 20 festivities this year, lots of our our five minute slots (they’re like speed- Member Feature: Jenny Linford 21 readers will be juggling this with dating for foodies! Don’t miss the next one Diary 23 ethical concerns.
    [Show full text]
  • The End(S) of Freeganism and the Cultural Production of Food Waste
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Communication Department Faculty Publication Communication Series 2017 The nd(E s) of Freeganism and the Cultural Production of Food Waste Leda M. Cooks University of Massachusetts - Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/communication_faculty_pubs Recommended Citation Cooks, Leda M., "The nd(E s) of Freeganism and the Cultural Production of Food Waste" (2017). Perma/Culture: Imagining Alternatives in an Age of Crisis. 54. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/communication_faculty_pubs/54 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Communication at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Department Faculty Publication Series by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The End(s) of Freeganism and the Cultural Production of Food Waste. Leda Cooks, Professor, Department of Communication, UMass Amherst, US In Jonathon Miles 2013 novel Want Not, Crabtree, an older ex-inmate out on parole whose income comes from collecting cans from dumpsters/bins confronts Talmadge, a young Freegan picking out his next meal from a nearby dumpster. Maddened by the ridiculous scene of a seemingly well-off able-bodied white man picking produce out of the trash, Crabtree asks: “The fuck you doing?. You eating from the trash?” [emphasis original] (2013, 9). Talmadge says that yes, yes he is and that the excesses of capital are ruining society: people are starving while supermarkets dump perfectly good food. Crabtree responds that Talmadge is crazy if he thinks anything is changed by going through the garbage.
    [Show full text]
  • THE POLITICAL ECONOMY of GENDER, RACE and CLASS Economics 243, Wellesley College, Spring 2018
    THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GENDER, RACE AND CLASS Economics 243, Wellesley College, Spring 2018 Professor Julie Matthaei Office Hours: Economics Department Thurs. 5:30-7 pm PNE 423, x2181 & by appointment The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles. -- Mahatma Gandhi Objectivity is male subjectivity, made unquestionable. --Adrienne Rich No problem can be solved by the level of consciousness that created it. --Albert Einstein Be the change you want to see in the world. --Mahatma Gandhi Youth should be radical. Youth should demand change in the world. Youth should not accept the old order if the world is to move on. But the old orders should not be moved easily — certainly not at the mere whim or behest of youth. There must be clash and if youth hasn’t enough force or fervor to produce the clash the world grows stale and stagnant and sour in decay. –William Allen White If to change ourselves is to change our worlds, and the relation is reciprocal, then the project of history making is never a distant one but always right here, on the borders of our sensing, thinking, feeling, moving bodies. --J.K. Gibson-Graham Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. --Martin Luther King Give a man a gun, he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world. --Greg Palast Being young and not a REVOLUTIONARY is a contradiction to biology.
    [Show full text]
  • INTRODUCTION We Are Writing This Zine to Create a Discussion About
    INTRODUCTION We are writing this zine to create a discussion about freeganism and wether or not it has any place in the struggle towards total liberation. We (the authors) identify as anarchists, and recognise that human-supremacy is one of the most widespread and destructive authoritarian constructs to exist in the shit hole that is industrial society. Veganism for us is not about dietary or consumer choices but is part of an intersectional approach to living in a non hierarchical way that seeks to actively confront and challenge the structures and ways of life under the various systems of authority. This zine is directed at people who associate themselves with anarchism and seek to challenge hierarchy in their day to day lives. If you serisouly think that you can vote with your money and that consumer choices will shape the future of human relationships or the wellbeing of the earth and all of its inhabitants, then please put this zine down and continue living in your bubble full of hope. We aim to create a more radical critique of human supremacy then a simple economic-centric catch phrase. Since the anti globalisation movement has discovered there is food to be found in dumpsters, people made up this funny word freeganism, and created an anti capitalist critique to go with it, some might even claim it is a lifestyle. This trend is blocking the path towards total liberation since it is blurring the lines between speciesism and anticapaitalism[1], creating confusing situations. Such as walking into an anarchist space to find people with ALF patches skinning a rabbit in the middle of the room and preparing a pot of stinking roadkill bone broth, preaching that this is a more natural way of living.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    "A REVOLUTION WE CREATE DAILY": FREEGAN ALTERNATIVES TO CAPITALIST CONSUMPTION IN NEW YORK CITY BY Kelly Ernst Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy In Anthropology Chair: Dr. David Vine Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences ~ ~ ?J-, [\)\~ Date 2010 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY UBAARV q :5 f; b UMI Number: 3406836 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3406836 Copyright 201 O by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Pro uesr --- --- ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ©COPYRIGHT by Kelly Ernst 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED To Mom and Dad. You have sacrificed for me, celebrated with me, maybe not always agreed with me, but you have always, always supported me. "A REVOLUTION WE CREATE DAILY": FREEGAN ALTERNATIVES TO CAPIT AUST CONSUMPTION IN NEW YORK CITY BY Kelly Ernst ABSTRACT New York City freegans are a group of critical consumption activists dedicated to limiting their impact on the environment, consumption of resources, and participation in what they argue is an exploitive capitalist economy.
    [Show full text]
  • Food and Politics in the Temporary Vegan Zone
    Universidade de Lisboa Instituto de Ciências Sociais Activism through Commensality: Food and Politics in the Temporary Vegan Zone Yvonne le Grand Mestrado em Antropología Social e Cultural Tese Orientado pelo Prof. Doutor José Manuel Sobral 2010 ACTIVISM THROUGH COMMENSALITY: FOOD AND POLITICS IN THE TEMPORARY VEGAN ZONE TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ii Resumo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iii Acknowledgements --------------------------------------------------------------- vii List of Acronyms ---------------------------------------------------------------- viii Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1. Gaia & the Jantar Popular ---------------------------------------------------- 7 2. To meat or not to meat, an environmental dilemma --------------------- 16 3. Behind the scenes ------------------------------------------------------------- 35 4. In the Temporary Vegan Zone ---------------------------------------------- 50 5. No Planet B -------------------------------------------------------------------- 76 6. Appendices --------------------------------------------------------------------- 80 7. Bibliography ------------------------------------------------------------------- 85 8. Digital photo archive on CD-ROM in the back i Yvonne le Grand ACTIVISM THROUGH COMMENSALITY: FOOD AND POLITICS IN THE TEMPORARY VEGAN ZONE ABSTRACT Keywords: global food system, diet, activism,
    [Show full text]
  • Life with 1/10 the Fossil Fuel
    Life with 1=10th the Fossil Fuel Turns Out to Be Awesome Peter Kalmus January 21, 2016 The opinions herein are my own. I do not speak on behalf of NASA or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Contents Part One: The Roots of Our Predicament 2 1 Introduction 2 Going deeper .............................. 4 Head, hands, and eyes ......................... 5 Be-cycling ............................... 6 Straightforwardness .......................... 7 Why walk on the path? ........................ 8 Limits, patience, and grief ...................... 11 Overview of the rest of the book .................... 12 Lifting the illusion ........................... 13 2 A New Language: Beyond Green 14 Let's not go green ........................... 14 Recycling ................................ 15 Environmentalism ........................... 16 Biosphere, biospherism ........................ 19 Sustainable ............................... 20 Low-energy ............................... 21 Independence and self-reliance .................... 22 Re-minding and mindfulness ..................... 23 Problem, predicament, challenge ................... 23 Happiness ................................ 24 Saving the planet / saving the world . 25 3 What We Know About Global Warming 26 The weight of this knowledge ..................... 27 The year of climate departure ..................... 28 i CONTENTS ii Peak temperature: why mitigation is crucial . 30 The physical basis for warming .................... 33 Outlook for the future ......................... 61 4 The System of
    [Show full text]
  • Viable Freeganism?
    SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Digital Commons @ ESF City Wild Landscape Architecture Spring 2014 Viable Freeganism? Nathan LaPierre Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/citywild Part of the Landscape Architecture Commons Recommended Citation LaPierre, Nathan, "Viable Freeganism?" (2014). City Wild. 7. https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/citywild/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Landscape Architecture at Digital Commons @ ESF. It has been accepted for inclusion in City Wild by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ESF. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. STUDY AREA Fayetteville, New York Adjacent to Green Lakes State Park lies a there was much to be uncovered. As a way plot of land roughly 300 acres in size. This of discovering more artifacts I applied my area was once an agricultural landscape. explorations to a topic I was greatly Since then it has been acquired by the interested in. I decided to research • state of New York and transformed into a freeganism and determine if any of the Green La' es State Part< public outdoor recreation area. There are artifacts I found could be utilized by numerous trails traversing the property, and freegans. To fully understand this project they are all utilized by mountain bikers, one must be well versed in the principles of runners and hikers. When navigating these freeganism. trails it's easy to forget what was there previously. It isn't until one ventures off the beaten path that they are reminded of what use to be.
    [Show full text]
  • Alex V. Barnard & Marie Mourad Handbook of Food Waste 1 Please Note This Is A
    Alex V. Barnard & Marie Mourad Handbook of Food Waste Please note this is a “preprint” or “accepted manuscript” (AM) (i.e. not copy –edited, proofread or typeset). Authors may upload the AM chapter to a personal or departmental website immediately after publication - this includes posting to Facebook, Google groups, and LinkedIn, and linking from Twitter. Authors can also post the AM book chapter to an institutional or subject repository or to academic social networks like Mendeley, ResearchGate, or Academia.edu after an embargo period of 18 months (this will be August 2021). Please refer to and cite the published copy available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429462795/chapters/10.4324/9780429462795-29 eBook ISBN9780429462795 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429462795-29 From Dumpster Dives to Disco Vibes: The Shifting Shape of Food Waste Activism Alex V. Barnard (ORCID: 0000-0001-8470-9196) Marie Mourad (ORCID: 0000-0003-3034-6507) Abstract Recent movements against food waste, seen as an issue in and of itself, build on a much longer tradition of movements around food waste, which use unsellable but still edible food—which we call “ex-commodities”—both as a material resource for activist projects and a symbol to denounce other social and ecological ills. In this chapter, we examine three movements—Food Not Bombs, freeganism, and Disco Soupe—that publicly reclaim and redistribute ex-commodified food. Despite this superficially similar activity, they attach different meanings to that food that show the shifting politicisation of food waste over the last decades. We reveal that as movements have narrowed their framings and targeted food waste specifically as a problem, they have also narrowed the horizons of what impacts tackling food waste 1 Alex V.
    [Show full text]