"God's Golden Acre for Children": pastoralism and sense of place in new suburban communities.
This paper is based on an empirical case study of four suburbs in the Dublin city hinterland. It is argued that pastoral ideology plays an active role in constituting these new suburbs and helps to inculcate a sense of place. This sense of place in turn helps to cement social embeddedness which acts as a bulwark against isolation and alienation. Pastoral ideology is invoked by suburbanites even when the pastoral dimension of the suburb is under threat or has disappeared. The village or ‘main street’ acts as an important anchor for new suburban residents as does the surrounding ‘rural’ landscape and their own collective memories. However, the study reveals a gap between how some newer suburbs are represented and imagined, and how they are experienced in everyday life. This raises questions about the long-term viability of suburbs that lack a sense of place.
Corcoran
Mary P
MP
Department of Sociology and National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), National University of Ireland Maynooth.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D019058:Community Networks / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005191:Family Characteristics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history; D005192:Family Health / Q000208:ethnology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D007494:Ireland / Q000208:ethnology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000266:history; D012933:Social Identification; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors / Q000266:history; D018881:Suburban Health / Q000266:history; D013383:Suburban Population / Q000266:history