Exploratory Fieldwork on Balconies as Threshold Spaces on the Juliusz Słowacki housing estate in Lublin
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Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University Libraries in partnership with the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Abstract
The author reflects upon her experience of exploratory fieldwork conducted by an interdisciplinary group during the Urban Summer School. The research was conducted within an environment built according to the idea of "Open Form", introduced by architect Oskar Hansen. Together with his wife Zofia, he designed a few neighborhoods around Poland, one of which – the Juliusz Słowacki housing estate in Lublin – is used as a case study for this paper. The article follows the process of collaborative development of research design and discusses a number of methods (focused ethnography, interviews, mental mapping, observation, participatory photography) applied to the study of materiality and social functioning of balconies as "threshold spaces" and their domestication. The author also outlines her positions in relation to both the local people with whom she has conducted interviews about their homes and the participants of her group.
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Keywords
ethnography, fieldwork, interview, mental mapping, observation, research design, threshold spaces
Citation
Ask: Research and Methods. Volume 28, Issue 1 (2019), pp. 61-80