This study is about surfing subculture in the South West of England, within small communities of surfers that live within the South East Cornwall area. Specifically the focus is on the Local Surfer, a surfing type emerging from a typology of surfers observed in the South West of England during my previous study (Beaumont, 2007) and developed through the use of ideal types, a concept taken from Weber (1949). The Interpretive paradigm was adopted for this study in order to conduct research into the social world of surfing subculture that produced richly descriptive data. Within this approach qualitative ethnographic methods were used including participant observation, field notes and semi-structured interviews to generate data on the two key themes surrounding the Local Surfer in the study; identity and community. In terms of identity, data reveals a list of the ideal typical characteristics for the Wannabe, the Professional Surfer, the Soul Surfer and the Local Surfer types the last of which highlights significant gender differences within the type itself. Donnelly and Young’s (1999) symbolic interactionist model of identity construction and confirmation was applied to analyse the Local Surfer and did help illuminate some stages in Local Surfer identity construction. However, this analysis also revealed limitations of this theories applicability to pursuits rather than sports (which is how surfing is classified to the Local Surfer). Goffman’s (1969) concept of career was also used to provide an opportunity to present the career of the Local Surfer and in particular provides information on the years after identity construction and the process of ageing within a subculture and a community. The Local Surfer career is seen as various distinctive stages which the Local Surfer typically progressed through in a linear manner: the “nurturing” stage; the traveller stage; the responsible stage; and the legends stage. Finally in terms of community, many of the issues associated with community are addressed by focusing on the elements which make up a definition of community established in the early stages of the study. Current issues for the Local Surfer are also discussed including their fratriachial qualities, the exclusion of women and the phenomenon of localism.

The main aim of this project is to explore the construction of national identity as performed by members of the Russian-speaking communities living in Scotland through the analysis of intergenerational narratives and conversations between parents and their children appearing in families in everyday situations. The subject of the research is the Russian community living in Scotland. This thesis aims to answer the following questions: How do Russian migrants construct and re-construct their Russianness during the constant process of interpretation of the new reality, new country, new culture. In what way do they attempt to exhibit their Russianness to their children in the process of everyday interaction? How do the children respond to these attempts and how do they contribute and co-construct the creation of identity? Which linguistic means and strategies are used to display and pass on the elements of the identity constructed? Are there any patterns used by adults in identity creations or any likely systematic actions undertaken during the identity performances? Do the adults achieve their intended aims, if they have any? The methodological framework of the thesis exploits Foucault’s, Goffman’s and Blumer’s theories in which the identity is seen as a discursive phenomenon created and shaped by interactions appearing in everyday situations. The empirical data are analysed using Bucholtz and Hall’s sociocultural linguistic approach which enables the embedding of the study of interaction in a broader ethnographic context. Moreover, in the analytical part of the thesis the Conversational Analysis, Narrative Analysis and Membership Categorisation Analysis are employed.

Community identity is a concept involving a web of relationships whereby a committed group of people emotionally identify with a shared set of values, norms, meanings and history. When municipalities co-operate, concerns among stakeholders can arise that potentially lead to a sense that interdependence among municipal partners can threaten a community’s independence and correspondingly community identity. The main goal of this study was to understand how the development of an inter-municipal partnership associated with the provision of a centralized multi-use recreation facility affected community identity among partnering communities. This goal was accomplished by exploring the case of Pictou County. Municipal leaders, members of the public, and local persons of influence were interviewed to gather their impression of the implications of an inter-municipal partnership for community identity. An interpretivist viewpoint guided this case study. One-on-one interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and broken down into different themes to capture the impact this case had on community identity. Findings were organized into three sections: (1) concerns about the partnership, (2) anticipated benefits, and (3) the overall implications for community identity. The findings of this case study revealed a shift in identity within the region in which the partnership took place. Although residents in each neighbouring municipality had a strong sense of community identity, the case illustrated a general shift toward a regional identity that was beginning to emerge. Study participants understood why some members of their communities were threatened by the inter-municipal partnership under investigation, but explained how the partnership created benefits that outweighed the negative impacts of co-operation. In particular, stakeholders believed the economic benefits of the partnership overshadowed any concerns about transparency or public input. This has allowed a shift in the tradition ways recreation services have traditional been offered in the county. Now instead of each municipality working as independent services providers they are now starting to work more interdependently to provide services for the municipalities. This case helps add to the body of literature involving inter-municipal partnerships and provide the opportunity for future research to be conducted on topics such as geographic identity and interscetionality. As well, the case provides insight to future practitioners when they are conducting research to understand that citizen participation is important in a project like this but it may be less significant than if the primary interest, such as economic interests, of the community members if initially managed. Addressing these interests should help lessen the chance of resistance forming later in the project.

Community identity is a concept involving a web of relationships whereby a committed group of people emotionally identify with a shared set of values, norms, meanings and history. When municipalities co-operate, concerns among stakeholders can arise that potentially lead to a sense that interdependence among municipal partners can threaten a community’s independence and correspondingly community identity. The main goal of this study was to understand how the development of an inter-municipal partnership associated with the provision of a centralized multi-use recreation facility affected community identity among partnering communities. This goal was accomplished by exploring the case of Pictou County. Municipal leaders, members of the public, and local persons of influence were interviewed to gather their impression of the implications of an inter-municipal partnership for community identity. An interpretivist viewpoint guided this case study. One-on-one interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and broken down into different themes to capture the impact this case had on community identity. Findings were organized into three sections: (1) concerns about the partnership, (2) anticipated benefits, and (3) the overall implications for community identity. The findings of this case study revealed a shift in identity within the region in which the partnership took place. Although residents in each neighbouring municipality had a strong sense of community identity, the case illustrated a general shift toward a regional identity that was beginning to emerge. Study participants understood why some members of their communities were threatened by the inter-municipal partnership under investigation, but explained how the partnership created benefits that outweighed the negative impacts of co-operation. In particular, stakeholders believed the economic benefits of the partnership overshadowed any concerns about transparency or public input. This has allowed a shift in the tradition ways recreation services have traditional been offered in the county. Now instead of each municipality working as independent services providers they are now starting to work more interdependently to provide services for the municipalities. This case helps add to the body of literature involving inter-municipal partnerships and provide the opportunity for future research to be conducted on topics such as geographic identity and interscetionality. As well, the case provides insight to future practitioners when they are conducting research to understand that citizen participation is important in a project like this but it may be less significant than if the primary interest, such as economic interests, of the community members if initially managed. Addressing these interests should help lessen the chance of resistance forming later in the project.

Hurricane Designed Is a project that deals with advertising graphics, their forms and adaptations, and relates them to their environment. Herein Is an explanation of the development and procedures of this project as It grew out of an interest In natural history and a pursuit of elegance in design. The result is this plan for a community identity based on environmental and historical perspective.

Alleys evoke powerful images in our collective fear and, yet, play an important role in our American culture. Currently, communities are recognizing the value of the alley to their social landscape and designers and planners are reviving the alley in designs for new communities. What is it about the alley that has communities so excited? Why are alleys being reincorporated into today’s design language? What do alleys contribute to a community’s landscape and how do they contribute to its identity? What do we have to learn about community and urban design from the alley? To answer these questions, this study compares a spectrum of five communities with various types of alleys – Holyoke, Amherst, and Northampton, Massachusetts; New York City; and Kentlands, Maryland. The conclusions drawn from this study indicate that the alley is an expressive landscape in which communities communicate their collective values and ideals and residents negotiate their community’s identity through control, order, and organization, including the naming, maintenance and use of the alley. It is also where boundaries of class, economic status, and affluence are navigated and expressed. Furthermore, the implications of these findings are that urban designers, landscape architects, planners, and engineers must resist the temptation to over-design and micro-manage a place if a truly organic and expressive community is desired. Within this framework, these professionals must also anticipate that a community will change and to allow for its alleys and other spaces to respond to, and reflect, these changes.

A well-known characteristic of the Qumran sectarian texts is the boast that community membership included fellowship with the angels, but scholars disagree as to the precise meaning of these claims. In order to gain a better understanding of angelic fellowship at Qumran, this study utilizes the fact that an important facet of Early Jewish angelology was the concept that certain angels were closely associated with Israel. Specifically, these angels can be placed in one of two categories: guardians (i.e., warriors who strove against Israel’s enemies, celestial or otherwise) and priests (i.e., the celebrants of the heavenly temple). A crucial component of the presentation of both angelic guardians and angelic priests was that they were envisioned within apocalyptic worldviews that assumed that realities on earth mirrored those of heaven, with the latter serving as the ideal, archetypal, or “more real” world. After discussing the conceptual backgrounds of angels associated with Israel in the Ancient Near Eastern texts and in the pre-exilic, exilic, and early post-exilic texts of the Hebrew Bible, this study sets out to compare how angelic guardians and angelic priests are presented in both the sectarian texts and the late Second Temple Period compositions of a non-sectarian provenance found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. While the non-sectarian compositions clearly posit a connection, correspondence, or parallel relationship between the angels and the Jewish people, an interesting facet of these works is that they imply definitions of Israel that are either quite generous or more stringent but paradoxically tempered by universalistic sentiments. Conversely, the witness of the sectarian compositions is that the Yahad viewed itself alone as the true Israel of God, with these texts evincing the belief that the angels associated with Israel had a unique connection to the sectarians, who had effectively usurped for themselves the privileges that were formerly those of the entire nation. Moreover, the texts which speak of angelic fellowship – both during the eschatological war and in the present time – suggest that sect members upheld the lofty self-estimation that they were either equal to the angels in some sense or had even attained a rank and glory higher than the angels. Given that the sectarians were convinced that their reconstitution of Israel’s covenant was the nation as it ought to be, there arguably would have been no better way for the Yahad to promote itself as such than to boast that the sect members were equal to – and even outranked – the guardians and priests of heavenly, archetypal Israel. Thus, while there has been scholarly disagreement as to the exact meaning of the sectarian angelic fellowship claims, this thesis demonstrates that at least part of the meaning is to be found in the contribution these claims make to the identity of the sect as the true Israel of God. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / History is embedded in a landscape. History of a community is embedded in the landscape where land was inhabited, cultivated, and where people have and continue to thrive. Rural communities have this embedded history and culture to look back. However, these communities are suffering from loss of population, jobs, economic stability, and accessibility (Woods 2008). This phenomenon can destroy not only communities and peoples’ lives, but also the history and culture that is embedded in a landscape. Nicodemus, Kansas a rural communities with an important history. This history begins after the Civil War during times of new found freedom and the reality of independence for many former African-American slaves. The residents and descendants of Nicodemus are passionate and proud of their history and see their community identity as embedded in the history and culture. Nicodemus has experienced loss of population and economic vitality throughout its history. However, Nicodemans’ strong connection to the history remains intact. The study argues that art can provide a way of expressing Nicodemus, Kansas’s identity. This study is primarily an art-based investigation into what materials, mediums, and forms of art can best express the identity and history of Nicodemus, Kansas. Art-based research is less concerned with the discovery of truth than with the creation of meaning (Eisner 1981). “...[V]isual art is a significant source of information about the social world, including cultural aspects of social life” (Leavy 2009, 218). Research methods include historiography, literature review, oral history, reflexive critique and site visits, culminating in the creation of a series of mixed media artworks. Through the research and creation of artworks, the identity of Nicodemus, Kansas is expressed visually.

This dissertation uses “Derby Cruising” in order to open up the tension between African Americans in Louisville and the Kentucky Derby Festival, especially as that tension was manifest in the spaces of West Louisville. The Kentucky Derby Festival has long served as a site of mediation between people of color and official Louisville. Derby Cruising (1998-2005) and protests around the open housing movement (1967) and anti-police violence (2000) are presented as three critical sites where African American expressions of identity, representation, and belonging have been negotiated through the Kentucky Derby Festival at particular historical moments and in particular places in the city. The dissertation assumes the place of these negotiations in the politics of racialization processes. It employs theories of “festival” and “carnival” inspired by the work of Bahktin, Hall, Nurse, and others in order to conceptualize transgression, protest, and community representation and highlights the importance of festival times as a critical opportunity for marginalized populations to assert a political voice, especially within African American communities. The cases are presented with information drawn from interviews with West Louisville residents, community leaders, and other affiliated officials, as well as from newspaper, media and archival sources.

abstract: This dissertation focuses on the diversity inherent to the process of social community construction. Building upon previous archaeological and bioarchaeological studies of community identities, the current project emphasizes the need for consideration of the impact of diversity on community identity formation in the past and illustrates the utility of a bioarchaeological approach for undertaking this task. Three specific aspects of community formation are addressed: (1) the relationship between symbolic community boundaries and geographic space, (2) the influence of diverse discourses of intra-community sub-groups on community formation, and (3) the negotiation of community boundaries by outsiders. To investigate these aspects of community construction in the past, dietary practices and mortuary rituals of the Late Intermediate Period (c. AD 900-1470) Ychsma society of the central Peruvian coast are examined as a case study. Previous anthropological and sociological studies demonstrate that diet and burial customs are common mechanisms used in processes of group identification around the world, including the Andes. In the current study, analyses of materials from Armatambo and Rinconada Alta in the Rimac Valley are used to examine the ways in which isotopic and dental indicators of diet and archaeological contextual indicators of mortuary rituals correspond with or crosscut spatial burial patterns and additional groups based on sex, age at death, and biogeochemically reconstructed residential origins. Observed patterns are interpreted using a theoretical framework that incorporates sociocultural theory of identity with pre-Columbian Andean ideology of the body, self, and social environment. Results reveal differences in large-scale trends in diet and mortuary practices associated with burial at each site that are interpreted as evidence of symbolic community boundaries between sites. Complexities within larger trends reveal evidence of internal diversity as well as fluidity across community boundaries. Specifically, evidence is presented for intra-community dietary differences, intra-community differences associated with age and sex, and finally evidence of external relationships. This consideration of diversity in community identity construction is concluded to profoundly refine current understandings of Ychsma social interactions. Consequently, this study demonstrates empirical investigation of social diversity is necessary for understanding the complex nature of the social construction of communities in the past. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2015