Reconceptualising comfort as part of local belonging: the use of confidence, commitment and irony

Yarker, Sophie

Abstract

This paper offers a theoretical framework for the analysis of belonging in local communities. To do so it draws on a broad existing literature which argues that comfort is a key dimension of our attachments to place. The argument that experiences of local belonging (or otherwise) are related to a person’s sense of comfort is a persuasive one, though current conceptualisations do not always adequately reflect this contention. As a consequence, our ability as geographers to adequately theorise our relationship to local places remains limited. This paper presents an empirical examination of comfort and local belonging amongst residents of a social housing estate in the North-east of England, and explores comfort as it is expressed through acts of confidence, commitment and irony. It concludes by arguing that taking comfort more seriously might lead us to a more agentic and reflexive understanding of local belonging and attachment.

Citation

Yarker, S. (2019). Reconceptualising comfort as part of local belonging: the use of confidence, commitment and irony. Social and Cultural Geography, 20(4), 534-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2017.1373301

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Sep 7, 2017
• Publication Date: May 4, 2019
• Deposit Date: May 29, 2024
• Journal: Social & Cultural Geography
• Print ISSN: 1464-9365
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-1197
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 534-550
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2017.1373301