Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Communication
Committee Chair
Dr. Laura Stengrim
Committee Chair School
Communication
Committee Member 2
Dr. Marie Danforth
Committee Member 2 School
Social Science and Global Studies
Committee Member 3
Dr. David Davies
Committee Member 3 School
Communication
Committee Member 4
Dr. John Meyer
Committee Member 4 School
Communication
Committee Member 5
Dr. Edgar Simpson
Committee Member 5 School
Communication
Abstract
Twenty-six residents of Ralston, Nebraska recorded oral histories for use in the city library’s 100-year anniversary celebration. The recordings build a limited history of the city and expose residents’ collective memories as a conduit to place attachment in a changing community. By positioning the City of Ralston as an organization using the Four Flows approach to the communicative constitution of organization [CCO], I examined communication by members of the organization as maintaining the city. Qualitative coding of the city’s Facebook page and narrative analysis of the oral history recordings produced identifiable categories related to collective memory, place attachment, and the Four Flows model of CCO which highlight the experiences of residents in one small Midwest city as they work to face economic and social challenges. The work examines collective memories and place attachment in the expressed needs of participating residents and identifies avenues for communication about current and future city issues between the local government and residents as members of an organization.
ORCID ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3532-557X
Copyright
Amy Jo Ellefson, 2024
Recommended Citation
Ellefson, Amy Jo, "Collective Memory and Place Attachment Expressed as Communicative Constitution of Community" (2024). Dissertations. 2233.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2233