Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.59.2.9
Subjective Experience of Place and Non-Place on the Research Example of the Bowling Club and McDonald’s in Karlovac
Martina Čoko
orcid.org/0000-0002-7831-3467
; Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište, Odjel za sociologiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ivana Brstilo Lovrić
orcid.org/0000-0003-0969-7409
; Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište, Odjel za sociologiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
This paper provides empirical insights about spatial categories of places and non-places from
the experiential perspective of participants of two focus groups examined in 2020. Research
has shown that the Bowling Club in the HV Zrinski Home in Karlovac corresponds to the
idea of place, while McDonald’s reflected the characteristics of non-place in accordance with
the views of the authors Relph and Augé, which represented the basic conceptual framework
of this paper. Participants portrayed the Bowling Club as a place of personal and communal
significance, with which they have emotionally connected at the level of memories, activities
and roles, describing it as a home where they feel belonging, safe and relaxed, that is, as insiders.
McDonald’s, on the other hand, is addressed through the absence of deeper meanings
and memories and minimal social relationships, confirming the non-place of an impersonal
category in which participants function as outsiders. At the same time, participants’ critical
statements surpassed the ideal-type conceptualizations of researched (non)places and pointed
to the trend of virtualization of space due to McDonald’s flexible implementation of new
technologies by switching to online food delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In accordance with the highlighted findings, this paper has actualized a less researched topic
in sociology and social sciences, pointing to the need for its further in-depth exploration with
reference to more modern theoretical approaches.
Ključne riječi
place; non-place; McDonald’s; Bowling Club; space virtualization; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
265458
URI
Datum izdavanja:
12.11.2021.
Posjeta: 1.277 *