Project Overview
This project investigates how friendships and relationships form through participation in social infrastructure, which includes physical spaces like parks, markets, cafes, libraries, and churches where people interact. These spaces encourage shared activities, leading to the formation of lasting connections. Social infrastructure fosters mutual support and collaboration, with its roots in studies of public spaces, “third places,” and community organizations. Strong social infrastructure promotes cross-boundary integration, especially when it attracts diverse groups and fosters civility.
Research shows that community organizations act as hubs for boundary-crossing friendships by drawing in a variety of participants. Understanding how relationships form in these settings enhances our knowledge of social integration. A key focus is on “mediated social infrastructure,” which refers to the formal structuring of interactions, often seen in community organizations. This concept builds on the idea of organizational embeddedness in sociology.
Mediated social infrastructure can be exemplified by organized activities like a mothers’ group at a park or a quiz night at a bar. These structured, repeated interactions, guided by the goals of community organizations, help foster meaningful connections, similar to situational mechanisms for friendship formation in psychology. Studying these dynamics provides insights into segregation and integration in social spaces.
Research Questions
- How do mediated processes within social infrastructures contribute to friendship formation and integration?
- When do mediated processes contribute to friendships that cross boundaries of language, ethnicity, immigration status, religious differences, age and gender?
Methods
- Case Studies
- In-depth Interviews
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
- Principal Investigator: Sean Lauer (Professor, Sociology)
- Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)
- Gabrielle Abando (Master’s Student, Sociology)
- Frankie Cabahug (Master’s Student, Social Work)
- Ka Po Kong (Master’s Student, Social Work)
Outputs
- Work in progress
Project Status
This project is currently in the Planning and Data Collection phases.
This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
