Doctoral Dissertation Research: Effects of External Threats on Community Cohesion

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project examines effects of a difficult environment on individuals and their community. In a situation in which hardships have increased recently, this study looks at the effects on 1) mental health challenges for individuals and their groups; 2) how the community understands itself and its place within the larger social structure of the United States; and (3) commitments of individuals and groups within the community to support each other, including opportunities for social solidarity and collective action in defense of vulnerable members. Findings will contribute to the understanding of the indirect effects of policies and their enforcement, and thus will be useful to policymakers as well as to organizations seeking to influence policy and to the affected communities themselves. Qualitative data will be collected on the practices and relationships of members of the community and on the extent to which legal and enforcement threats shape their social, economic and psychological well-being. The main methodological procedure is the construction of case studies of groups of community members through long-term ethnographic observation and interviews, often repeated, with key informants and community members. Results will contribute to the theoretical understanding of how social solidarity in communities is generated; how external processes condition the well-being of individuals and groups; and how the effects of these external processes may be modified through community characteristics and processes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.