Northern Kentucky University
The Meaning of Community: An Ethnographic Study in the Commonwealth
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Timothy Murphy
Abstract
My ongoing ethnographic study concerns the meaning of community in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. To complete a holistic analysis of the subject, I apply the research methods of anthropological participant observation, historical investigation, interviewing, and surveying. The examined community is a small, politically unincorporated neighborhood in Boone County, Kentucky, with roots tracing back to a settlement date in 1813. Located along the banks of the Ohio River and originally established for water transportation, the hamlet has literally risen and fallen in reverse correlation to the river, enduring a variety of weather-related disasters and economic near-collapse. Despite these crises, today the neighborhood is thriving due to local and national preservation efforts and a country charm that attracts tourism. Historical and contemporary perspectives of the meaning of community and how it influences individual behavior, the role of the environment in neighborhood development, the relationships formed between communities that make them interdependent, and the economical ties and variables that create settlements are at the core of this study. My project goal has been to discover the meaning of community in a town that has fought against the odds and survived the devastating forces of nature and economic loss.
The Meaning of Community: An Ethnographic Study in the Commonwealth
My ongoing ethnographic study concerns the meaning of community in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. To complete a holistic analysis of the subject, I apply the research methods of anthropological participant observation, historical investigation, interviewing, and surveying. The examined community is a small, politically unincorporated neighborhood in Boone County, Kentucky, with roots tracing back to a settlement date in 1813. Located along the banks of the Ohio River and originally established for water transportation, the hamlet has literally risen and fallen in reverse correlation to the river, enduring a variety of weather-related disasters and economic near-collapse. Despite these crises, today the neighborhood is thriving due to local and national preservation efforts and a country charm that attracts tourism. Historical and contemporary perspectives of the meaning of community and how it influences individual behavior, the role of the environment in neighborhood development, the relationships formed between communities that make them interdependent, and the economical ties and variables that create settlements are at the core of this study. My project goal has been to discover the meaning of community in a town that has fought against the odds and survived the devastating forces of nature and economic loss.