The Start of All Imaginings

MacKinnon-Day, Patricia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8096-1981 (2025) The Start of All Imaginings. [Data Collection]

Abstract

The Start of All Imaginings reveals that markets serve as social spaces in various ways for distinct social groups. The traders discuss how their social life plays a significant role in creating a vibrant atmosphere in the market, while also being important in forging connections with the community itself. They also describe their various interactions with shoppers as a crucial component of the social life within the market, especially for older people who regularly visit markets for the pleasure of these relationships. They see the market as a place of social bonding and social inclusion, particularly for those who are more marginalised in the city. Passing the time of day in the market and chatting with a trader or another shopper might be the only chance they’ve had to talk with someone all day. It’s also seen as a social space for families with children, particularly on weekends, when people arrange to meet friends, shop, and talk at leisure. A market’s strength is its community, social inclusion, and care for others. One trader described it as simply `rubbing along' .
Most research on markets has focused on investigating the economic aspects of markets. An ethnographic case study of a mid-western American flea market was carried out by Sherry in 1990 looking at market buyer and seller behaviour, marketplace ambience. However, the social importance of markets has received little attention, except for a study by Watson and Wells in 2005 about social interaction and conflict in a north London market

Additional Information:	Depositing user's licence comment:
Creators:	MacKinnon-Day, Patricia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8096-1981
Uncontrolled Keywords:	440107 Social and cultural anthropology; 330405 Public participation and community engagement; 3606 Visual arts; 360604 Photography, video and lens-based practice; 360602 Fine arts
Division:	Art & Design
Field of Research:	Built environment and design > Urban and regional planning > Public participation and community engagement Creative arts and writing > Visual arts Creative arts and writing > Visual arts > Fine arts Creative arts and writing > Visual arts > Photography, video and lens-based practice Human society > Anthropology > Social and cultural anthropology
Date Deposited:	29 May 2025 09:30
Last Modified:	29 May 2025 09:40
Related resources:	Related data Related data Related data Related data Related data Related data Related data
URI:	https://opendata.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/231
Data collection method:	film, photograph, interview, community engagement with market trader, market users and choristers
Resource language:	English
Metadata language:	English
Collection period:	From To 3 January 2022 1 December 2025