TY - JOUR
T1 - My Village Is Dying?
T2 - Integrating Methods from the Inside Out
AU - Peters, Paul
AU - Carson, Dean
AU - Porter, Robert
AU - Vuin, Ana
AU - Carson, Doris
AU - Ensign, Prescott
PY - 2018/8
Y1 - 2018/8
N2 - The purpose of this paper is to confront the notion of "decline" at the village level by illustrating a more immersive approach to sociological and demographic research within rural and remote communities. The research uses case studies of three villages in Australia, Canada, and Sweden, all of which have been labeled as "declining villages," typified by population loss, an aging population, high rates of youth outmigration, and loss of businesses and services. This paper argues that focusing solely on quantitative indicators of demographic change provides a narrow view of rural village trajectories and ignores subtle processes of local adaptation that are hidden from quantitative data sets. Our research integrates quantitative data from the "outside" with qualitative data from the "inside," including visual ethnography, to develop a more balanced perspective on how villages have been changing and what change could mean locally. These objectives are accomplished by revisiting a Dirt Research methodology applicable to a broad range of research into rural and remote villages.
AB - The purpose of this paper is to confront the notion of "decline" at the village level by illustrating a more immersive approach to sociological and demographic research within rural and remote communities. The research uses case studies of three villages in Australia, Canada, and Sweden, all of which have been labeled as "declining villages," typified by population loss, an aging population, high rates of youth outmigration, and loss of businesses and services. This paper argues that focusing solely on quantitative indicators of demographic change provides a narrow view of rural village trajectories and ignores subtle processes of local adaptation that are hidden from quantitative data sets. Our research integrates quantitative data from the "outside" with qualitative data from the "inside," including visual ethnography, to develop a more balanced perspective on how villages have been changing and what change could mean locally. These objectives are accomplished by revisiting a Dirt Research methodology applicable to a broad range of research into rural and remote villages.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050671459&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/cars.12212
DO - 10.1111/cars.12212
M3 - Article
C2 - 29974626
AN - SCOPUS:85050671459
VL - 55
SP - 451
EP - 475
JO - Canadian Review of Sociology
JF - Canadian Review of Sociology
SN - 0008-4948
IS - 3
ER -