Details of an education:The mechanics of eco-social resilience amongst vehicle dwellers

Craft, Rhiannon 2023. Details of an education:The mechanics of eco-social resilience amongst vehicle dwellers. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis documents an ethnography with various vehicle dwellers in the UK, from the position of a vehicle dweller who began living in vehicles in 2018, after spending much time with an array of individuals living in vehicles for 15 years. During the data collection period, I spent time living on the road and on various encampments, most of which was spent on private land in Wales during the pandemic. Through a life lived with others as a vehicle dweller, “an education” undergone over four years is presented here. This reveals ways of thinking and relating to other beings and things in the world that may be useful: sociologists can benefit from exploring the ways in which people have responded to their own experiences of crises. Having engaged with ideas about Anarchism, degrowth and prefigurative politics, it is shown how we may uncover knowledge beyond the academy that can assist us in knowing ways of living within the world at a critical time of collective climate and economic crises. It is shown that much of the education I have undergone has been helpful in developing a kind of what Claudio Cattaneo calls “eco-social resilience.” Through adopting Tim Ingold’s theoretical frameworks, we can pay close attention to the ways in which we can improvise with what is around us: from salvaging discarded materials, sharing skills and resources, and by listening to what the landscape provides. Ingold’s work offers a promising framework for the development of Green Anarchism, which remains underdeveloped. And finally, this thesis demonstrates the importance of the ability to experiment with alternative forms of self-provided housing, bringing into question the state’s repeated attempts to disrupt and control such forms of housing and the stress and trauma this can create for individuals who are simply trying to live their lives.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 July 2024
Last Modified:	09 Jul 2024 09:41
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170432

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