Responding to a Traumatic Event: Restoring Shared Pasts Within a Small Community

Abstract

This paper describes reactions by regular patrons of a family restaurant to an armed robbery that occurred within its premises. One of the victims, the restaurant's co‐manager, and these regulars participated in the construction of a narrative in order to restore their normal involvement within the community and to incorporate the profound disturbance of a robbery into the patrons' and manager's shared pasts. We discuss two different types of regulars who view this particular restaurant as a sacred place. In this context, we discuss particular discourse, appearance, and touch codes that support perceptions of the restaurant as sacred. To conclude, we discuss how regulars and management resolved this profound disturbance to establish shared histories in regard to the robbery and to restore communal relations within this restaurant.

Conceptualization and Measurement of Dimensionality of Place Attachment

“…In sum, from the definitions of and discussions of these dimensions of place attachment, it can be inferred that all these dimensions of place attachment are based on interactions and evaluations over an 328 CHEN, DWYER, AND FIRTH be added or reinterpreted over time due to the experiences and expectations rather than the length of time (Katovich & Hintz, 1997;Zerubavel, 1996).…”

Contextual Identity among Liberian Refugees in Ghana: Identity Salience in a Protracted Refugee Situation

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From Foster Care to Fostering Care: The Need for Community

“…In particular, we examined the interruptions of interactional rhythms and relationships caused by a major epiphanal event-Carl Connor's death (Denzin 1989a;1997;Ellis 1993;Katovich and Hintz 1997). We focused "on those events, narratives, and stories people tell one another as they attempt to make sense of the epiphanies or existential turning-point moments in their lives" (Denzin 1997, p. xvii).…”