NAVIGATING SMALL-TOWN COMPLEXITIES: Unravelling Attitudes through Ethnographic Research

This chapter explores the intricate landscape of rural US communities through the lens of life narratives, field observations, and ethnographic interviews. Moving from an initial focus on tangible sociopolitical symbols, such as political flags and banners displayed on front yards, the project broadened to encompass diverse experiences within the rural context. Drawing on Arlie R. Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land, the research aims to explore the multifaceted dynamics of symbols as identity markers in rural settings. Participants, representing the varied facets of rural life, engage in open-ended interviews, narratively linking their current and past circumstances with their symbolic identity choices. The investigation of sociopolitical symbols in this research is akin to photo-elicited interviews, utilizing objects to activate individualized meaning-making encounters. In short, the study illustrates the challenges and complexities of interviewing in a small community.