Being Period: An Examination of Bridging Discourse in a Historical Reenactment Group

Decker, Stephanie K.

doi:10.1177/0891241609341541

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Research grounded in sociology and political theory demonstrates that heterogeneity strengthens communities, facilitates continuity, enhances members' experiences (Omi and Winant 1994;Putnam 2000), helps maintain member engagement (Rubenson 2005), and heightens members' sense of belonging (Crowther and Cooper 2002;Decker 2010). This work describes how heterogeneity allows communities to accommodate the varying needs and motivations of a range of members (Cohen 1985) as well as how heterogeneity is managed using frame alignment strategies that unite diverse individuals (Benford and Snow 2000;Decker 2010;Kretsedemas 2000;Snow et al 1986;Wry, Lounsbury, and Glynn 2011). Overall, this work posits that when communities accommodate the varying needs of their members, heterogeneity contributes to continuity.…”

Section: Heterogeneity and Community Continuitymentioning

confidence: 98%

When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities

Thomas

Price²,

Schau³

2013

J Consum Res

237

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Although heterogeneity in consumption communities is pervasive, there is little understanding of its impact on communities. This study shows how heterogeneous communities operate and interact with the marketplace. Specifically, the authors draw on actor-network theory, conceptualizing community as a network of heterogeneous actors (i.e., individuals, institutions, and resources), and examine the interplay of these actors in a mainstream activity-based consumption community -the distance running community. Findings, derived from a multimethod investigation, show that communities can preserve continuity even when heterogeneity operates as a destabilizing force. Continuity preserves when community members depend on each other for social and economic resources: a dependency that promotes the use of frame alignment practices. These practices enable the community to (re)stabilize, reproduce, and reform over time. The authors also highlight the overlapping roles of consumers and producers and develop a dimensional characterization of communities that helps bridge prior research on brand communities, consumption subcultures, and consumer tribes.Bryan is a serious runner and a member of the distance running consumption community. He is sponsored by a major athletic brand and is integral to his local running community. In addition to running competitively for almost 30 years, he is also a coach who evangelizes the benefits of running to novices and recruits and is proud of how community members interact with and support each other, regardless of their speed or how much they run. At the same time, he struggles with the participatory nature of the sport, longing for the "good old days" when only a competitive mentality prevailed. B ryan embodies the complexities and paradoxes of a strong, heterogeneous, activity-based consumption community that is able to align the differences between members. Over the past three decades, Bryan has witnessed a radical transformation of the running community from a small, competitive, tight-knit, male-dominated group to a mainstream, popular activity-based consumption community with mass participation. As outlined in appendix A, throughout these 30 years, heterogeneity has emerged in terms of the actors present within the community, the roles they play, and the resources they use and exchange. The purpose of this study is to enhance understandings of how complex heterogeneous communities manifest and interact Accetta and Paul Connell for assistance recruiting informants.

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Section: Heterogeneity and Community Continuitymentioning

confidence: 98%

When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities

Thomas

Price²,

Schau³

2013

J Consum Res

237

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“…And while the visitor's center and announces that all those in our tour group need to report to the briefing room for a pre-tour briefing. Suddenly, I realize what is happening here-we are being exposed to a performance, a historical reenactment of sorts, meant to bridge discourse with patrons (Decker 2010) while legitimizing and defending the American strategy of nuclear deterrence (Masco 2008). Furthermore, by treating this event as a 20 reenactment depicting a specific time in history, there is an explicit construction of masculine identity vis-à-vis the military experience (Hunt 2008).…”

Section: Chapter 7: Target 2 9-megaton Ground-burst (Titan Missile Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was at that moment that I decided to utilize living history, or historical reenactment, as a research method (Pickering 2010)-much like when archaeologists use experimental archaeology to recreate past toolmaking, construction, or artwork contemporarily(Planel and Stone 2002). I attempted to change my mindset from anthropologist to missileer, to pretend I was in the Air Force during the Cold War-a process that is a core component in what historical reenactors call "being period"(Decker 2010). While the briefing ends with a video describing the Titan II rocket and the role of nuclear deterrence in winning the Cold War, I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and by the time my eyelids flick open, Marty and I were heading down for a shift…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The New Right Stuff: Social Imaginaries of Outer Space and the Capitalist Accumulation of the Cosmos

Genovese¹

2017

Preprint

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This thesis utilizes ethnographic and historical data in order to propose that the trajectory of outer space imaginaries—and therefore, as will be demonstrated, the future realities of outer space affairs—has drifted from peaceful exploration to violent exploitation due to the rise of private space corporations (operating under the moniker of NewSpace). This is partially due to the increasing acceptance of neoliberal capitalism within the United States—and much of the Global North—since the 1970s. Furthermore, NewSpace companies —which now possess multi-billion dollar contracts with governmental space agencies—are zealous adopters of neoliberal economics, and these philosophies are tied to colonial conceptions of the individual, limited governance, unchecked resource extraction, and frontier mentalities. These concepts became apparent during my multi-sited ethnographic investigations of NewSpace—as well as governmental—facilities and museums. This thesis argues that these hegemonic economic ontologies must be met with resistance from social scientists, science fiction authors, and the public in order to create a human future in outer space that is equitable, decolonized, and democratic.

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“…Community acceptance and consensus are integral to the creation of a knowledge base within the community. While differing interpretations can be argued amongst participants using logic, documentation and opinion (Decker, 2009), it is through community consensus of implicit knowledge that impressions are judged and notions of authenticity expressed (Strauss, 2001(Strauss, , 2002.…”

Section: Serious Leisurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were also a few people who expressed an aversion to requirements for standards of authenticity, these participants were only interested in a very narrow facet of re-enactment (usually combat), and did not seem to understand how other people could enjoy aspects that they personally did not (Strauss, 2001;Decker, 2009). In this study, these negative opinions were only encountered in passing during participant observation, with those who volunteered to take a more active role in the study, for example, as key informants, voluntarily placing their emphasis on the importance of the pursuit of authenticity and on their sense of identity in the community.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-enactment and its information practices; tensions between the individual and the collective

Robinson

Yerbury

2015

Journal of Documentation

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Purpose This study seeks to explore the practices used by Australian re-enactors in working to achieve authenticity, a communally agreed measure of acceptability in the creation of an impression, the dress, behaviours and accoutrements of the period. The driving concepts in the study are serious leisure and information practices. Design/methodology/approach Re-enactment is a practical, information-based performative activity. In this article, the research styles and decision-making processes developed and employed by its enthusiasts to create authentic impressions are examined through an ethnographic case study. Findings The re-enactors are identified as "makers and tinkerers", in Stebbins's categorisation of serious leisure. Research, documentation and the sharing of information, knowledge and skills are commonly accepted by re-enactors, and acknowledged as integral to the processes of creating an impression to a collectively agreed standard of authenticity. Their "making" includes not only the creation of the impression but also the documentation of their process of creating it. These re-enactors prize individual knowledge and expertise and through this, seek to stand out from the collective. Originality Although communities of re-enactors are often studied from a historical perspective, this may be the first time a study has been undertaken from an information studies perspective. The tension between the collective, social norms and standards that support the functioning of the group in understanding authenticity, and the expert amateur; the individual with specialist skills and talents, encourages a fuller investigation of the relationships between the individual and the collective in the context of information practices.

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Being Period: An Examination of Bridging Discourse in a Historical Reenactment Group

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities

When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities

The New Right Stuff: Social Imaginaries of Outer Space and the Capitalist Accumulation of the Cosmos

Re-enactment and its information practices; tensions between the individual and the collective

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