Description:
The recent migratory movement known as Seachange is investigated in this article through the concept of place. Using Smith’s ‘Elementary Forms of Place’ model as a guide, and textual/media analysis coupled with qualitative research as examples, it is argued that the Seachange narrative is constructed on a dichotomous relationship to the city. While metropolitan areas are perceived as dull, stressful and degrading, the country and beach are sacralized through narratives of peace, quiet and serenity. Furthermore, the Seachange locales are also considered as places entrenched in the past, invoking aesthetics of traditional community values. Yet the sacralization of Seachange places is threatened by counter-narratives such as gentrification, commodification and sustainability issues which degrade the attractiveness of the locale.
Description:
Responding to a recent Nexus article from Eduardo de la Fuente, this paper is concerned primarily with two underpinning questions. Firstly, what makes ‘theory that lasts’. In answering this I briefly examine some of the work of Riley (2010) in his discussion of the Durkheimians to analyse what influenced their collective fervour over the sacred. It is my proposition that one of the fundamental features of this was the overarching concern with the social, which the Annéewas importantly concerned with. It is clear that the concept of the ‘sacred’ represents ‘theory that lasts’. Secondly, the paper reflects further on the role of theory in the public sphere. Using Juliet Schor as an example, it suggests that sociology which concerns itself fundamentally with the social, can find a place in the public. However, whether this is too idealistic in our contemporary setting is worth considering.