‘Kinship like I've never experienced before’
Modern mechanical solidarity on the Appalachian trail network
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22203176 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samantha B Cake (Longwood University), JoEllen Pederson (0000-0001-6912-3269, Longwood University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Pages | 101109 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101109 |
| OpenAlex | W4401838457 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Emile Durkheim (1858–1917) believed that mechanical solidarity–a type of social solidarity that emerges from the homogeneity of actors' social realities–is only able to flourish in traditional societies. The current study challenges that assertion by demonstrating that in modern-day America, mechanical solidarity plays a prominent role in creating the uniquely generous, trusting culture in the thru-hiking community of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) network. This mixed-methods study used 10 semi-structured, ethnographic interviews and 97 survey questionnaire responses from current or former thru-hikers of the A.T. network. Hikers indicated in survey data that they see themselves as part of a hiking community. All respondents reported valuing collective trust, mutual respect, generosity, emotional support; and engaging in community-minded practices. Respondent's collective values, along with the common environment and shared goals that they possess as thru-hikers, produce a sense of collective consciousness–and thus, mechanical solidarity–in the thru-hiking community of the A.T. network. • Emile Durkheim's theory of mechanical solidarity, solidarity based on shared experiences, can be applied in modern settings like those found in the hiking communities on the Appalachian Trail Network. • Mixed methods provide insights into how community is built and maintained by “thru-hikers”. • Findings demonstrate that mechanical solidarity is a powerful force that can create communities focused on providing for, connecting with, and learning from one another. • Frequent acts of interpersonal generosity among thru-hikers, despite their collective existence the resource-scarce environment of the Appalachian backcountry, provides evidence of strong community bonds and mechanical solidarity
Appalachia · Appalachian Region · Geography · Kinship · Physical geography · Political science · Sociology · Solidarity · American Environmental and Regional History · Anthropology · Canadian Identity and History · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies · Geology
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| Highly cited | No |
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