Community History

Congregational Studies: Taking Stock

by Mathew Guest

Co-authored with Linda Woodhead and Karin Tusting. pp. 1-23 of Congregational Studies in the UK: Christianity in a Post-Christian Context ed. by Mathew Guest, Karin Tusting and Linda Woodhead (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004)

This chapter charts the development of congregational studies  - analyses of local Christian congregations - in... more This chapter charts the development of congregational studies  - analyses of local Christian congregations - in the UK from the 1950s onwards. It draws comparisons with similar studies in the USA, and offers insights into how the evolution of dominant approaches and perspectives has been shaped by changes in the wider cultural climate.

The role of individuals in community change within the Findhorn intentional community

by Peter Forster

Co-authored with Marijke Wilhelmus.

Forster, P. M. and Wilhelmus, M. (2005). The role of individuals in community change within the Findhorn intentional community. Contemporary Justice Review, 8, 367-379

The processes whereby intentional communities change are many and complex, but change they must if they are to survive... more The processes whereby intentional communities change are many and complex, but change they must if they are to survive the challenges they will inevitably meet. Most communities do not survive the challenges they meet in their first two years. The Findhorn Community in north east Scotland has survived and grown in the more than 40 years since it began. This paper provides a description by two former, long-standing members of that community of the main changes the community has gone through that have enabled the community to respond to change and continue to grow. It describes the role played in those changes by key individuals and contends that, without them, the community would probably have stagnated and gone the way of the many communities that were not able to respond to the challenges they faced. The authors use these case studies to show how a handful of practical visionaries have ensured the long-term future of the community.

Historicity and il/legitimacy: The ideology of identity narratives in colonial Kerala

by Niveditha Kalarikkal

This paper was presented in the seminar Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature (PLTL)-2012, Nanded- Maharashtra, India.
It is published in the conference proceedings ed. by Dr. G.N Shinde & Mr. S.B Mirza, with ISBN 9788192012001.

Every narrative has a context which is consciously or subconsciously derived from a world-view and an ideology, and so... more Every narrative has a context which is consciously or subconsciously derived from a world-view and an ideology, and so do have the narratives of 'origin', those which were knitted together to create different community identities towards the end of 19th and the early decades of 20th century Kerala. Placed within the wider context of 'colonial modernity', these myths turned out to be and at times were used for constituting a 'lineage', and in recalling certain pasts, at the same time, selectively erasing some others. These representations, centered around the il/legitimacy claims put forth through decades,eventually revolve around certain repetitive themes and motives like :the places of origin and the initial settlements of each caste/ community group.The refashioning and solidification of caste/community identities towards the the beginning of the 20th C involving the attribution of historicity effected through the blurring of boundaries between the 'historical' and the 'mythical' narrative genres turns out to be the focus here.

The School at Loch Croispol 1730 - 1861: Durness, North West Sutherland (2010)

by Issie MacPhail

This report is a bit of a hotch potch providing a range of research in one document without much in the way of analysis.  It is very rough and ready. We also produced a Smart phone app from this work - I shall add a download link soon. You can using it walking round the sites or from wherever you are.  It includes archaeology, history, geology and poetry. 

This project was funded by Historic Scotland, Heritage Lottery and The HIghland Council.  The project was created by The Durness Development Group. 

Written and compiled by Issie MacPhail from the reports and work carried out by a range of researchers for this... more Written and compiled by Issie MacPhail from the reports and work carried out by a range of researchers for this project. Individual reports are incorporated as indicated in the contents which lists authors. The GUARD report is summarised briefly. The Timeline was created at the start of the project as a basic tool to help orientate research work.
December 2010.

La diaspora grecque (1820-1960). Une minorité aux marges de l'Etat?

by Mathieu Grenet

(with Angelos Ntalachanis)
in L’histoire des minorités est-elle une histoire marginale ?, eds. Stéphanie Laithier and Vincent Vilmain, Paris: Presses de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne, 2008: 85-97

“Trade, Politics and City Space(s) in Mediterranean Ports”

by Mathieu Grenet

(with Athanasios Gekas)
in Port Cities: Dynamic Landscapes and Global Networks, ed. Carola Hein, London-New York: Routledge, 2011: 89-103

In this paper we suggest an entangled and comparative history of four Mediterranean ports, Marseille, Livorno, Trieste... more In this paper we suggest an entangled and comparative history of four Mediterranean ports, Marseille, Livorno, Trieste and Corfu, 1770s-1880s, examining in particular the interaction between different states and trading groups, the outcome of which is all too often uncritically characterised by historiography as the emergence of a cosmopolitan maritime world. While engaging with ongoing debates on cosmopolitanism we do not limit our analysis to a conceptual discussion over the notion itself. Rather, we aim to test its pertinence in a more dynamic way by studying the ‘management of cosmopolitanism’, namely, the role different authorities (state and city) played in enhancing the cohesion of a Central Mediterranean commercial space. Our analysis is twofold; first, we argue that the alleged cosmopolitanism of these ports was as much a result of state policies as it was of individual and group strategies. Secondly and in connection with the above, we study the way cosmopolitan patterns resulted in new forms of urban networking and planning – for instance, through the promotion of new commercial institutions, such as Chambers of Commerce and other trade associations, or through the integration of our four port cities into various regional or transnational networks.

« Culte orthodoxe et stratégies communautaires. Le cas des Grecs de Marseille (v.1790-v.1840) »

by Mathieu Grenet

in Ville et religion dans l’Europe moderne et contemporaine, eds. Bruno Dumons and Bernard Hours, Grenoble: Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 2010: 183-200

The Burry Man Festival, South Queensferry: Warding off Evil Spirits, Connecting With Nature, and Celebrating Local Identity

by Carole Cusack

Sydney Society for Scottish History Journal, Vol. 13, October 2010, pp. 37-53.

Each year on the second Friday in August the streets of South Queensferry, a village on the Firth of Forth, play host... more Each year on the second Friday in August the streets of South Queensferry, a village on the Firth of Forth, play host to a mysterious figure, the Burry Man (sometimes given as ‘Burryman’ or ‘Burry-man’), as he wanders in silence from approximately 9 AM to 6 PM, collecting money and nips of whisky from the townsfolk. On the next day the town celebrates the annual Ferry Fair. The origins of the tradition are obscure, as is its meaning. Only a man born in South Queensferry may perform the role of the Burry Man, variously characterised as a village guardian warding off evil spirits and other enemies, a nature spirit akin to the Green Man and guaranteeing prosperity to the burgh, a source of luck for fishermen, and a scapegoat purging evil from the community. Being the Burry Man is a demanding commitment, with the weight and discomfort of the heavy costume of burrs (which requires two assistants to help carry it) intensified by Lothian’s variable summer weather (if the day is warm it becomes unpleasantly hot, and if rainy it becomes unpleasantly heavy). Yet on 13 August 2010, John Nicol served his twelfth year as the Burry Man, and his predecessor the late Alan Reid was the Burry Man for twenty-five years. Nicol has publicly mused on the significance of his role, concluding that ‘The fact that the reason behind it is a mystery is a reason for me to do it’. This article explores the historical evidence for the Burry Man Festival and antiquarians’ accounts and explanations of it in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then its continued popularity and local relevance are located in anthropological and sociological studies of a trend, observed since the 1970s, toward revitalized local festivals and ritual celebrations as markers of identity for communities (in-group motivations) and as attractions for an increasingly important tourism industry (out-group motivations).

How a Library Saved My Life

by Marc Garrett

First published on Furtherfield's Community Blog 07/02/2011

A personal text discussing my own personal history regarding, early education and 'how a library saved my life'. An... more A personal text discussing my own personal history regarding, early education and 'how a library saved my life'. An argument against the closing of public facilities such a libraries by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the UK, and their assault on welfare, education, and social equality, in the age of austerity cloaking privatization with the reinstatement of the privileged classes.

Memory, community, and the Mashhadi Jews during the underground period

by Hilda Nissimi

This article examines the history of the Jewish community of Mashhad – Iran, from the conversion in 1839 until the... more This article examines the history of the Jewish community of Mashhad – Iran, from the conversion in 1839 until the ascension of the Pahlavi dynasty when formal return to Judaism was acceptable in the context of the influence of memory practices on community formation.
The Mashadi community is presented as a pertinent example on the interaction of memory and community formation. The underground period offers an opportunity to examine the influence of memory practices on a community without formal organization. Thus, an insight into the possible inter-relation between the formation of memory and communal identity is enabled. Seeking to maintain Jewish religious practices after the forced conversion thrust each and every individual into a new community of shared danger and destiny. A new underground religious leadership that sprang up and other religious services shaped a social elite parallel to the socio-economic one and in spite of the ostensible Moslem character of the community with no relationship to Moslem practices. In folklore and other memory devices a distinct new ethnical identity appeared and was commemorated.

Community – finding the middle ground in studies of prehistoric social organisation.

by Andy Valdez-Tullett

In Sterry, Tullett, A. and Ray, N. (2010). In search of the Iron Age: proceedings of the Iron Age Research Student Seminar 2008, University of Leicester. Leicester: Leicester University Press.

Community as a term is much-used, if poorly defined, within papers on British prehistory, displaying a variety of... more Community as a term is much-used, if poorly defined, within papers on British prehistory, displaying a variety of more-or-less explicit physical or emotional connotations. This paper looks at sociological and anthropological work on ‘community’ to see how an unambiguous concern for the fundamental attributes of community can enhance our narratives of life in the Iron Age.
The community is constructed from an individual’s interaction within a number of interconnected cross cutting structural groups that creates a shared affinity between participants. Communal identities are in turn central to the creation of individual identities and provide the basis for social practice. In turn it is crucial to biological and social reproduction as well as economic production, making it a fundamental unit of society.
The current ascendant model of Iron Age social organization focuses on the independent household as the primary unit of social analysis. This paper will highlight how this focus on a largely independent unit, inhibits our understanding of a variety of larger-scale social interactions which constituted key aspects of life in the Iron Age. It explores how a landscape approach, mapping activities spatially and functionally, can be used to investigate community through movement and interaction between structural groups. Finally it reviews evidence from the Earliest Iron Age midden sites in the Vale of Pewsey to show how a community framework can be used to create a more nuanced understanding of the historical conditions of life.

The Pewsey middens: centres of feasting or symbols of community?

by Andy Valdez-Tullett

co-authored with C. Harrison. In S. Baker, M. Allen, S. Middle and K. Poole (eds), Food and Drink in Archaeology 1 (2008).

During the 80’s and 90’s a number of discoveries highlighted the occurrence of a number of large midden sites in and... more During the 80’s and 90’s a number of discoveries highlighted the occurrence of a number of large midden sites in and around the Vale of Pewsey consistently dated to the Late Bronze Age / Earliest Iron Age transition. Consisting of 1-2m deep dark humic deposits, rich in animal bone and ceramics, the dramatic nature of the midden sites is highlighted by the huge numbers of animals slaughtered on an annual basis and its implication on the population that such sites could support. Initial explanations for these sites have focused on the manipulation of social relations through cycles of competitive feasting (McOmish 1996).
This paper reviews recent work by the University of Sheffield on the faunal data from the middens at All Cannings Cross and Stanton St. Bernard. Whilst these sites were the scene of large seasonal congregations that augmented a full time population during the year, it argues against feasting as the primary driver of midden creation. It suggests that changes to the landscape on the downs during the Late Bronze Age represent a rise in transhumance and dispersal of communal elements. Evidence suggests that the midden sites were located at pivotal points in the landscape where large groups of people would be drawn together at certain times during the agricultural calendar. As such, in contrast to the socially divisive results of competitive feasting, it suggests the sites were integral to a process reincorporating community ethos for disparate groups and may over time have become symbolically associated with what it meant to belong to a community.

Black earth, bone and bits of old pot: the Pewsey middens. Recent work by the University of Sheffield.

by Andy Valdez-Tullett

In O. Davis, N. Sharples and K. Waddington (eds), Changing perspectives on the first millennium BC. (2008).

A number of large midden sites, dating from the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age transition, have been discovered in the... more A number of large midden sites, dating from the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age transition, have been discovered in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, over the last 30 years. These middens are characterised by deep deposits (up to 2m thick) of dark humic material, rich in animal bone and ceramics. This paper outlines some of the early findings from a recent programme of research undertaken by the University of Sheffield at All Cannings Cross and Stanton St. Bernard. The two sites appear to have several similarities such as midden structure, but also distinct differences in terms of the artefacts and the taphonomic processes at work. This paper theorises how the construction of the linear earthwork systems on the downs during the Late Bronze Age facilitated an increase in mobility and allowed a burgeoning in the size of the local communities. Whilst this made possible the management of large herds, it meant that larger proportions of the community were dispersed during the agricultural year. Evidence suggests that the sites were involved within a sheep dairying regime and were located at pivotal points in the landscape where large groups of people would be drawn together at certain times during the agricultural calendar. As such the sites were integral to a process reincorporating community ethos for the dsiparate groups and may over time have become symbolically associated with what it meant to belong to a community.

In search of the Iron Age: proceedings of the Iron Age Research Student Seminar 2008, University of Leicester

by Andy Valdez-Tullett

Sterry, Tullett, A. and Ray, N. (2010). In search of the Iron Age: proceedings of the Iron Age Research Student Seminar 2008, University of Leicester. Leicester: Leicester University Press.

The Iron Age Research Student Seminar is very much the 'student arm' of Iron Age research, providing a forum for new... more The Iron Age Research Student Seminar is very much the 'student arm' of Iron Age research, providing a forum for new studies, and the exploration of new techniques and interpretative approaches. This collection of twelve papers encompasses studies of the British Isles and northwest Europe ranging chronologically from the English Late Bronze Age through to the end of the 'long' Iron Age in Scotland. The contributions explore issues of chronology and dating, settlements, landscapes, burials and cremations, human populations, deposition practices and human-animal relationships ranging across ideas of community, networks, place and space, social practice and palaeopathology. New interpretations of key sites are also presented including studies of the East Leicestershire Hoard, South Cadbury and both open and enclosed settlements in the East Midlands.

In search of the Iron Age: Proceedings of the Iron Age Research Student Seminar 2008, University of Leicester presents the innovation and vitality of current postgraduate research into all aspects of Iron Age Society. 

Gay men and ambivalence about ‘gay community’: from gay community attachment to personal communities

by Martin Holt

The concept of 'gay community', and gay men's attachment to and involvement in gay community activities, has held both... more The concept of 'gay community', and gay men's attachment to and involvement in gay community activities, has held both a symbolic and practical role in understanding and guiding responses to HIV in developed world contexts. In the West, the HIV epidemic has disproportionately affected gay men. Being involved in and connected to gay community activities (what, in Australia, is described as 'gay community attachment') predicted the adoption of safe sex practices. However, the meaning of gay community is changing. This presents a challenge to those working in HIV prevention. With reference to previous research, the meaning of gay community is analysed in qualitative interviews conducted with Australian gay men. The interview data indicate that gay men are often ambivalent about gay communities, suggesting a need for subtlety in the ways we think about and address gay men in HIV education and health promotion. The concept of 'personal communities' may better reflect the ways in which gay men engage with each other and their social networks. Recognising and responding to the changing nature of gay life will ensure that the flexibility and pragmatism of HIV programmes aimed at gay men are maintained.

Teaching Franco-Americans of the Northeast

by Susan Pinette

French Review: The Journal of the American Association of Teachers of French, 80.6

This article argues that Franco-Americans should be incorporated into the Francophone curriculum and provides a select... more This article argues that Franco-Americans should be incorporated into the Francophone curriculum and provides a select annotated bibliography of resources to facilitate that inclusion.