The materiality of research: sinking into the sand: explorations of the coast in sociology by Nick Osbaldiston

In this feature essay, Nick Osbaldiston proposes the notion of a sociology of the coast, linking pre-modern divisions between the ‘known’ land and ‘unknown’ sea to more contemporary anxieties as the spectre of climate change threatens our coastal futures. By engaging in the imaginative play enabled by actually ‘being there’, this allows us to contemplate the pressing, future possibilities of the coast today

Emotions and under-insurance: Exploring reflexivity and relations with the insurance industry

In our contemporary age, knowing who to invest our trust in and how trusting relationships develop is a complicated matter. Early sociologists have encouraged us to consider this state of reflexivity as one where individuals are constantly reflecting on the relationships they have through cognitive frames. Recent theoretical and empirical work has suggested that emotions are also an important factor in this process. In this chapter, how people understand insurance and how they interpret different facets of the insurance sector is understood as not simply logical, but emotional. Using the concept of emotional reflexivity, the question of how emotions underpin relations between the consumer and the insurance sector is explored. It is argued that emotions drive mistrust and potentially cause some to underinsure their property

Towards a Sociology of the Coast: Our Past, Present and Future Relationship to the Shore

This book seeks to understand the coast as a place that has deep significance both historically and sociologically. Using several case studies in Australia, the author uses Max Weber’s approach to rationalisation to understand the different ways coasts have been interpreted throughout modern history. While today, coastal places are known for their aspects of lifestyle or adventure, their histories, underpinned by colonialism and industrialization, are vastly different. The author examines the delicate dichotomy between the alternative experiences the coast provides today, versus the ideals and values imposed upon it in times gone by. The author makes an ethical argument about the ways in which we use and experience the coast today will adversely affect the lives of future generations in an attempt to generate further discussion amongst students and scholars of the sociology of place, as well as coastal managers and stakeholders

Sociološkokulturni pogled na življenjsko-stilske migracije

One of the fundamental issues in lifestyle migration is that the ideals behind it, a quest for a better way of life, are not homogenous across groups and contexts. Unlike other conceptual frameworks within migration, lifestyle migration is embedded in a cultural framing where participants draw from a variety of cultural structures to make sense of their experiences. In this paper, I examine narratives from participants in lifestyle migration in Australia. Buried in these narratives are three broad themes: anti-consumerism, nostalgia and boundary maintenance. Using a cultural sociological lens, I propose that this demonstrates the flexibility of the concept of lifestyle migration but also reflects the usefulness of cultural sociology in unpacking this phenomenon further.Temeljna premisa življenjsko-stilskih migracij je, da ideali, ki jih motivirajo, torej iskanje boljšega življenja, niso homogeni za vse skupine in kontekste. V nasprotju z drugimi raziskovanji migracij, so življenjsko-stilske migracije proučevane skozi kontekst kulture; udeleženci izhajajo pri osmišljanju svoje izkušnje iz različnih kulturnih struktur. Članek proučuje pripovedi udeležencev življenjsko-stilske migracije v Avstraliji. Pripovedi zajemajo tri širše teme: kritiko potrošništva, nostalgijo in vzdrževanje meja. Gledano skozi sociološko lečo to izkazuje fleksibilnost koncepta življenjsko-stilskih migracij in uporabnost sociologije kulture pri nadaljnji razlagi tega pojava

Horror, dread, awe and disgust: revisiting Durkheim and place

This paper revisits the re-conceptualisation of the sacred/profane classification in the analysis of place undertaken by Smith (1999) in his Elementary Forms of Place model. Following long standing criticism about the ambiguity of Durkheim's (1995[1912]) delineation of the profane, Smith (1999) here proposes four typologies that specifically separate those places of no special significance, the mundane, from other sites of high or low value. The argument made in this paper is that despite the usefulness of this typology, Smith (1999) neglects the darker side of the sacred. Known as the impure or 'left' sacred (Hertz, 1960[1909]), this concept characterises those objects or in this case places which imbue feelings of horror and dread. Yet unlike the profane, these sites acquire no ritual avoidance strategies. This paper illustrates this darker side of the sacred through secondary empirical analysis from the World War One site of Gallipoli. It is found that while elements of the pure sacred are found within the rituals of ANZAC Day here, there is also a profound imagery of horror and dread. These we argue, help to further accentuate and concretise the pure sacred experience through narratives of sacrifice, patriotism and heroism

An integrated life cycle costing database: a conceptual framework

Life cycle costing (LCC) is a management technique that has been available to the industry for some time, but despite this it continues to languish in obscurity. Some clients, most apparently from the public sector, are fostering the technique by commissioning studies based on the LCC appraisal techniques. However, the majority of building designs are still currently produced unsullied by thoughts of maintenance implications, life expectancy or energy consumption. Recent technological developments, particularly in Web, Virtual Reality (VR), and Object Oriented technologies and mathematical and computational modelling techniques will undoubtedly help in resolving some of the problems associated with life cycle costing techniques. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for an innovative system that facilitates the implementation of LCC in various design and occupancy stages. This system is being developed within an EPSRC-funded research project, undertaken through a joint collaboration between the Robert Gordon University and the University of Salford

Expected Versus Experienced Liveability for Amenity Migrants in Cairns, Australia: The Grass is not Always Greener in the Tropics

This study explores Australian amenity migrants' experiences in Cairns, comparing expectations of a tropical paradise with lived realities. Using episodic narrative interviews and Importance-Performance Analysis of liveability indicators, it uncovers discrepancies between idealised imaginaries and actual experiences. Key concerns include housing, safety, jobs, living costs, and challenges in building community connections. The findings highlight the gap between the tropical paradise image attracting migrants and liveability challenges of a regional city. This mixed-methods approach offers a transferable tool for examining expectation-experience gaps in amenity destinations, providing insights for policymakers to address liveability issues and build communities that meet diverse residents' aspirations

Underinsurance in cyclone and flood environments: a case study in Cairns, Queensland

This article examines findings from a 2018 project in Cairns, Far North Queensland, on insurance and risk perception. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explored how people regard insurance, if at all, and how they use it to reduce their risk of financial loss following a disaster event. Results suggest that while most home owners hold insurance, renters are less likely to have contents insurance leaving them financially vulnerable if losing their property. Cost of insurance is considered one barrier to taking out insurance, however, other issues such as risk perception, self-efficacy and trust in insurers are issues for both home owners and renters. The paper furthers knowledge of underinsurance in disaster-prone areas and provides vital information for understanding motivation to withdraw from insurance

Dynamics of Seachangers in rural and regional townships

The seachange phenomenon has recently returned to the policy and planning agenda in Australia owing to some recent data showing new movement patterns out of capital cities. This chapter presents a discussion around this via review of the literature in the areas of amenity migration, counter-urbanisation and lifestyle migration. It further proposes, through demographic research into the region of Gippsland in Victoria, that we need to begin to better understand the motivations for shifting away from the capital cities and the flow on impacts in local communities. Among these impacts are coastal populations in various stages of flux, transforming communities based on local, familiar ties and an enduring relationship to place with new residents from far and wide. As these communities and places are ‘opened up’ through permanent, semi-permanent and visitor populations, more work is required to understand the local place as one that is increasingly inclusive of converging mobile lives, driving communities in transition and renegotiations of identity, belonging and security

‘Living in crisis’: Introduction to a special section

[Extract] This special section began to take shape sometime in mid-2020. Much of Australia was then in lockdown, we were working from home, national borders were closed, and it was looking increasingly likely that the annual conference for The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) would not go ahead. At the time, the spread of COVID-19 within Australia was very limited, especially compared to much of the rest of the world. Yet the pandemic had nonetheless brought unprecedented disruption to our everyday lives