Word Count: 499
Part 2
Examine the argument that neighbourly relations are routinely subject to processes of making and remaking.
The term neighbour can be defined as someone who lives in the same locality, in particular, someone who lives in the same street. Yet being a neighbour means much more than just living next door to someone, or in the same neighbourhood. It brings with it a whole set of social relations, often taken for granted, that are routinely subject to processes of making and remaking.
It is apparent that there exists some kind of unwritten neighbourly code of conduct between residents. On a daily basis, they consciously or unconsciously do their best to adhere to these rules, in an attempt to be a ‘dutiful’ or ‘good’ neighbour. Consequently, this helps to create and maintain social order, which exists because ‘people have shared knowledge about how everyday life and social interaction should proceed’ (Byford, 2009, p. 249). Byford refers to these rules as the ‘grammar of neighbouring’ (Byford, 2009, p.249).
However, living together with neighbours is more complex than it appears. Infrastructure such as walls, doors and fences are all situated in a way that divides neighbours as oppose to bringing them closer together. This is an interesting factor as essentially, it has been suggested that being a ‘good’ neighbour involves knowing when it is appropriate to socially interact with your neighbours and when you should keep your distance and not appear intrusive. It involves successfully negotiating living together and living apart.
So what is it exactly that makes a ‘good’ neighbour? Byford cites the work of Crow et al. that a neighbour is ‘expected to be available in times of trouble, friendly and a bit of a giver, but they should also mind their own business and not be intrusive’ (Making Social Lives, p. 254). What is being suggested here is that a ‘good’ neighbour should be able to successfully negotiate public and private spaces and be able to make a clear division between the two. They should instinctively know when it is appropriate to interact with their neighbours and on the contrary, when to keep their distance. So we can see the complexity of what being a neighbour actually involves. This shows how they are involved in constant processes of managing their own needs and also those of their fellow neighbours. They are constantly managing needs to respect each other’s privacy, while at the same time addressing the need of living together harmoniously.
On page 257 of Making Social Lives, Byford provides an interesting example of ‘good’ neighbouring from his own experience. It involves a conversation that takes place between him and a neighbour after a parcel is incorrectly delivered to his neighbour by mistake. One of the first things his neighbour says is ‘sorry to bother you’, thus addressing the need for privacy. Byford’s neighbour is well aware that her presence on his doorstep may be interpreted as an intrusion. Then immediately after this she says, ‘I live over there on Cherry Avenue’. This informs Byford that she is, in fact, a neighbour and therefore should be treated in an appropriate, respectable manner.
So here we have an example of how both neighbours instinctively know how to behave and interact in a manner that is expected of them and as a result, they are able to successfully negotiate the situation they find themselves in. This is very significant because ‘as people enact particular identities, they also maintain and repair order in society because they reproduce and enforce patterns of behaviour and expectations associated with that identity’ (Byford, 2009, p. 258).
However, it is important to acknowledge that not all neighbourhoods have the same rules and customs. With regards to social interaction, different cultures may have different rules and expectations. For example, research conducted in Manchester with regards to neighbourliness showed that an asylum seeker was baffled as to why some British people had not taken up his offer to visit his home. This suggests that the asylum seeker had different expectations of social interaction to those of his British counterparts and evidently, was not aware that ‘just dropping by is not a widespread neighbouring custom in the UK’(Byford, 2009, p. 259). So not only are neighbours required to negotiate social relations with people from their own culture, it is also necessary for them to manage relations with people from other cultures in order to all live together successfully.
Neighbourly relations, however, do not always run smoothly. Byford argues that, ‘The boundaries between helpfulness and distance, friendliness and intrusiveness, are often fuzzy and subject to interpretation’ (Byford, 2009, p. 263). When neighbours disagree on these boundaries disputes arise. So how do neighbours resolve these conflicts and repair social order?
Well for the most part, neighbours will seek to resolve disputes amongst themselves. They will talk to each other, discuss the problem and usually arrive at some sort of compromise that addresses the needs of all parties involved. Residents are aware of the need to negotiate neighbourly relations in order to be able to live together harmoniously. Sometimes, however, social relations break down and it is necessary to pursue other avenues in order to resolve conflict. In cases such as these it is common for a formal complaint to be made. It may be a dispute over boundaries that cannot be resolved amongst themselves or an issue too embarrassing to discuss with your neighbour such as intimate noises. This will usually result in the Local Authority becoming and involved and with the help of a mediator neighbours are often able to arrive at an agreement between them. Neighbours become involved in a process of remaking social relations in order to restore social order and live together successfully.
In conclusion then, it is evident that neighbourly relations are far more complex than they first appear. In fact, being a neighbour requires great skill. It involves frequently negotiating social situations, when to appear available and when to keep your distance. On the whole, good neighbourly relations are successfully achieved because of the shared cultural knowledge that people have. However, disputes inevitably arise and occasionally social relations break down. Consequently, external institutions become involved to resolve conflict and restore social order. Therefore the evidence provided supports the argument that neighbourly relations are routinely subject to processes of making and remaking.
Word Count: 1036
References
Byford, J. (2009) ‘Living together, living apart: the social life of the neighbourhood’, in Taylor, S., Hinchliffe,S., Clarke, J. And Bromley, S. (eds) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Self-reflection
I am finding the tutor feedback absolutely essential as it helps me to know where I can improve for future assignments and hopefully gain higher grades.
I am now trying to organise my time more efficiently to accommodate all my commitments.
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