In the shadow of the ivory tower: An ethnographic study of neighborhood relations

Abstract

Social workers have a historic commitment to neighborhood organizing and community planning. One place where social work expertise is needed are neighborhoods adjacent to a college or university campus. These neighborhoods are home to diverse groups of residents who share a common place, but not the same degree of attachment to that place or the same sense of community. Despite the increased interest in universitycommunity relations, there is relatively little empirical research on intergroup relations in campus-adjacent neighborhoods. This year-long ethnographic study centered on a campus-adjacent neighborhood in a small Appalachian college town in the US that is home to a mid-size public university. The study included members of five stakeholder groups in order to understand intergroup neighborhood relations and their relationship to larger institutional dynamics. The research design included semi-structured interviews, a series of focus groups, and a small Photovoice project. Textual data were analyzed in a two-step process, first using a modified holistic method, followed by a more in-depth analysis using tabular, graphic and other tools. Findings clustered in three areas: the dynamics of intergroup relations, ghettoization and studentification (a term used in the UK) and collective efficacy. The study's findings illustrate the importance of understanding the larger community context to make sense of intergroup relations in residential neighborhoods, particularly those dominated by large institutions. In addition, the study helps to reaffirm social work's historic commitment to neighborhood organizing and community planning as a means of resolving neighborhood tensions.

Improving Academic–Community Partnerships: A Case Study of a Project Investigating Attitudes about Diversity

“…In hindsight, the research team should have built in more time for IRB approval and communicated more clearly to the community representatives about the process of getting research approved by an IRB. Our experiences in this regard mirrored challenges found by others who have examined academic-community partnerships (Anderson et al, 2012;Begun et al 2010;Nelson et al, 2015;Powell, 2014;Smith, 2015).…”

“…They directly discussed disagreements-which otherwise could have gone underground and sabotaged the project-so that solutions could be considered. Had the community members not been a part of the research team, this would have been much more challenging due to a likely reduction in opportunities for communication (Powell, 2014) The perspectives and talents of research team members also contributed to the success of the project (Begun et al, 2010;Nelson et al, 2015). Having a project coordinator who grew up and lived in the area and had deep connections in the community helped in recruiting focus group participants, obtaining support of the guiding coalition (a large group of community partners with access to diverse email lists), and gaining credibility in the community, which was especially helpful for participant recruitment.…”

“…While some might conclude that project leaders should anticipate needs and plan better, in the perspective of one of the authors, who has many years of nonprofit administration experience, if all of the funds required for programs or projects had to be committed before they started, most would not get off the ground. Nonetheless, a project leader who can project financial requirements and who also has the passion and skills for fundraising may be essential for success, especially for smaller projects (Begun et al, 2010;Powell, 2014).…”

“…Academic-community research partnerships have become increasingly common (Bowen & Martens, 2006;Powell, 2014;Strier, 2013), and there are a variety of types and foci of such partnerships. Some tend to be more academic, while others are more community-oriented.…”

Community-Led Research: Walking Pathways Together

“…The culture of academia is often elitist, embedding 'expertise' within institutions of higher education . This impacts not only on how individual academics undertake their research but also how the broader community views knowledge building (Powell, 2014). For many, particularly those with fewer resources and opportunities, this can result in an affirmation of academia's claim of ownership of knowledge building.…”