Family and Community in Ireland

Arensberg, Conrad M.; Kimball, Solon T.

doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674729469

Cited by 157 publications

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“…and O'Neil (1975 for details of local folklore. This institution, though essentially similar to the cuaird described by Arensberg and Kimball (1968) for county Clare, differs in its geographical range of membership and, of course, in the typical topics of conversation.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“man the fisher”: salmon fishing and the expression of community in a rural Irish settlement

Taylor

1981

American Ethnologist

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This article treats the relation of fishing to the expression of communal relations in Teelin, a small coastal settlement in county Donegal, Ireland. Beyond presenting the ethnographic aspects of an as yet undescribed type of maritime pursuit, this paper offers (1) an explanation of the cultural prominence of a part-time economic activity and (2) an analysis of the implications of this fishing activity for the character of ongoing local interaction. While thus principally concerned with fishing, the argument is relevant to the analysis of any such collective pursuit.For several hundred years a fishing/farming community, the people of Teelin make their living today in a variety of ways, many of which are typical t o similar small-farmer settlements throughout the west of Ireland. One feature of the local economy that is of less wide distribution is the estuarine salmon fishery. From April to August the attentions and/or efforts of most locals are turned toward their estuary, to whose waters schools of salmon return in that season to spawn. Typically sold rather than eaten, the salmon is pursued by various techniques in Donegal Bay and along the coast. Most often, however, "he" (as the salmon is called) reaches the protected waters of the estuary, where 16 or so open rowboats, each crewed by 3 t o 6 men, wait patiently for a sign of "his" coming. The fish are netted in a purse seine, the extent of the catch varying widely from boat to boat and netthrow t o net-throw. Even with the high prices currently paid for salmon, only a few households earn substantial profits in this pursuit. Thus, while monetary gain is most certainly a motive for individual fishermen, the cultural prominence of the fishery rests on more than its economic function.This paper analyzes the significance of the summer salmon fishery of Teelin, a small coastal settlement in county Donegal, Ireland. Although not of great economic importance to most Teelin families, the salmon pursuit is the subject of considerable cultural attention, providing a source of communal and personal identity. An explanation for the disproportionate cultural strength of the fishery is sought in its contribution to the maintenance of the local community as a bounded social entity in a region where historical disincorporations have made the existence and nature of such communities problematic. The ways in which the interactional and experiential aspects of this fishery contribute to Teelin's "local culture" are examined as a sample case of the relation between any such socially definitive activity and the structure of a local system of social relations or ideology. [community, European ethnography, maritime anthropology, Ireland, ideology]

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Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, county Clare, as described by Arensberg andKimball (1968 [1940]:273), fits this farmstead-centric pattern fairly well and is possessed of communities only in the very relative sense described above.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“man the fisher”: salmon fishing and the expression of community in a rural Irish settlement

Taylor

1981

American Ethnologist

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“…Communication, colloquially referred to as "chatting", has long served to promote intimate social relationships among farmers and to provide a network for the diffusion of important information on farming matters (Frawley, 1993 citing Breathnach, 2000;Breathnach, 2000). The local pub in particular provides what Oldenburg (1999) has referred to as "a third place", a meeting point for local farmers where they can discuss issues of common concern, trade insights and share a collective ethic of mutuality and interdependence (Arensberg and Kimball, 1940;Rosenzweig, 1991;Kearns, 1996Breathnach, 2000Share, 2003). Such "chatting" is embedded in the heart of social relations in rural Ireland and is often buttressed by other important "third places", such as the local church and the mart.…”

Section: Communicative Normsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…JVFs enable farmers to pool labour, skills and resources together to enhance the productive capacity of the farm and reduce the 'one man farm' problem (Kirbak & Flø 2005;Almas 2010). In addition, 'the one man farm' phenomenon has tended to push young adult family members away from the farm, who seek financial independence and are reluctant to operate in a period of 'protracted boyhood' (Arensberg and Kimball 1940), where they provide mainly manual tasks on the farm without contributing to decision making. JFVs can resolve this tension by providing a function for young and older farmers to work together, enabling young farmers to gain decision making functions on the farm (Macken-Walsh and Roche 2012).…”

Section: /66mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

Cush

Macken‐Walsh

2016

European Countryside

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Joint farming ventures (JFVs) are promoted within Irish and EU policy discourses as strategies that can enhance the economic and social sustainability of family farming.Research has shown that JFVs, including arrangements such as farm partnerships, contract rearing and share farming, can potentially enable farmers to work cooperatively to improve farm productivity, reduce working hours, facilitate succession, develop skills and improve relationships within the farm household. In the context of increasing policy promotion of JFVs, there is a need to make some attempt at understanding the macro socio-cultural disposition of family farming to cooperation. Reviewing sociological studies of agricultural cooperation and taking a specific focus on the Irish contextual backdrop, this paper draws the reader's attention to the importance of historical legacy, pragmatic economic and social concerns, communicative norms, inter-personal relationships, individualism and, policy and extension stimuli, all of which shape farmers' dispositions to cooperation and to JFVs specifically.

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“…These might be the balances entailed within the farming family (the demographic balance, the balance between drudgery and satisfaction, etc. ), it might also be farmers' emancipatory aspirations of having their own farm and autonomy, the prospect of developing a 'beautiful farm' (van der Ploeg 2008) where the work can be done 'gently' (Zuiderwijk 1998), or the desire to construct a secure foundation point for one's children (van der Ploeg and Ye 2016) or to maintain the patrimony of the family (Arensberg and Kimball 1948).…”

Section: On Social and Economic Logicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiation: old controversies, new insights

Ploeg¹

2017

The Journal of Peasant Studies

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There is a long-standing debate about the nature, impact and significance of processes of differentiation in driving agricultural development. This contribution discusses three ways in which such processes have been conceptualized: modernization theories that put markets centre stage, Marxist theories that focus on class, and Chayanovian approaches that highlight the dynamics within farming families. The empirical evidence for testing these concepts is normally derived from agricultural censuses. This paper uses a different database that covers all Dutch farms between 1980 and 2006 and enables us to follow the changes on individual farms. Examination of this data reveals that the actual processes of differentiation that have occurred in this 25-year period differ greatly from the classic conceptualizations. It also challenges the conventional wisdom that agricultural development is mostly driven by larger farms.

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Family and Community in Ireland

Cited by 157 publications

References 0 publications

“man the fisher”: salmon fishing and the expression of community in a rural Irish settlement

“man the fisher”: salmon fishing and the expression of community in a rural Irish settlement

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

Differentiation: old controversies, new insights

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