The Creation and Maintenance of Sense of Place in a Tourism-Dependent Community

Abstract

This paper examines the theoretical intersection of place attachment and community through a study of the place attachment of residents who live, work, and play in a tourism-dependent community. Using a qualitative photo-elicitation technique best described as “resident employed photography,” we asked 25 residents of Seward, Alaska, to share images and stories of important places in and around their local community. The findings suggest that place and community are intertwined, as evidenced by the use of community as a frame of reference for describing nearly every example of attachment to place. This suggests that place attachment can serve as a factor in the development “of” community, defined as a heightened engagement in collective actions that help people meet their day-to-day needs. It could also influence one's development “in” community, directing the behaviors that affect how people both participate in communities and seek to change their position within them.