The importance of events for marginalised communities

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings from a year long New Zealand-based study into the significant contribution that events make to the lives of marginalised people, and how they are represented in the media. Marginalised groups and communities have a right to meaningful leisure experiences that contribute to their social well-being and quality of life. Furthermore, if these events are experienced and portrayed in a positive manner, they can be a vehicle for satisfying these needs and for celebrating community and diversity. Despite the significance of events as contributors to quality of life and social well-being, implications for non-mainstream communities have been largely overlooked by researchers. Researchers in both leisure studies and critical events studies have recently been called to move beyond the descriptive and take a more critical approach, particularly to issues of social justice in the field. This project responds to these calls, focusing on community events held in marginalised communities. Events held in, by and for marginalised communities provide a platform for such communities to redress imbalances of power (and associated stigmatising) through the celebration of their way of life. Events selected for the research project included those for indigenous and ethnic minority groups, rural women, seniors, those with [dis]abilities, low socio-economic groups, refugees and the LGBTI community. A qualitative approach was used for core data collection and analysis. Multiple forms of data were included: participant observation, visual methods, semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, and the collection of event narratives and commentary from print and social media. The presentation concludes with suggestions on how to give marginalised peoples a voice in these events, leading to inclusive events and ultimately contributing to empowering these communities.