"Posterchild" : notions of community inclusion in a rural city

This thesis presents how forms of neoliberal policy act upon notions of community and how official constructions do not necessarily reflect the sense of community felt by individuals. Research was performed in Brooks, Alberta, a rural city of approximately 13, 600, which has experienced significant immigration to the area within the last 20 years. The focus of study was on migrant perspectives of “community”, in light of policies aimed at including migrants into the existing community. Through semi-formal interviews and ethnographic data this work reveals how notions of community and inclusion are intricate, complex, and at times competing amongst individuals in a rural community. This thesis attempts to contribute to existing research on small-scale and rural centers, and on concepts of community. Particularly in a rural center, such as the one in this study, “community” takes on a variety of meanings and is felt in a variety of ways. Municipal policy informed by neoliberal approaches may not necessarily begin to address the expansive ways in which community emerges in the city.

Author

• Dykin, Ashley

• Concept of community
• Community inclusion
• Neoliberal
• Rural communities

Identifier

hdl:10133/3530

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/3530