Mariposa

Dr. James Mullooly is currently involved in a research project on the multi-faceted nature of change and development in the town of Mariposa. He has built partnerships with the Mariposa Chamber of Commerce and the Mariposa County Town Council.  They are interested in the use of anthropological methods to help them understand their own community and the social, cultural, and economic changes underway in the entire Sierra foothills region.

"The Last Un-commercialized Town in the Sierra Foothills": Depictions of

Change in a Landscape of Stability.

by
James Mullooly, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

The epithet in the title refers to a small town near Yosemite Park. Coined by a resident, it indexes a problem growing towns confront: how big is big enough? What was once a town supported by mining and timber is now a growing tourist town. An applied approach, involving the town's Chamber of Commerce, has guided this study. Current literature on social change revolves around outlooks emphasizing instability over stability. My analysis investigates the possibility that not much has changed here. This study adds credence to classical arguments in sociology and semiotics regarding the difficulty to attaint significant social change.

Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology.  April 5-10, 2005.  The research involves the discussion of a longitudinal study that will investigate how the opening a UC Merced will impact life (economic, cultural, etc.) of Mariposa.

Link to Fuller Description

 

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