Post-industrial Pathways for a 'Single Industry Resource Town': a Community Economies Approach

Janet Newbury
Katherine Gibson

Although communities are constantly undergoing processes of becoming the Powell River community on Canada’s Pacific coast is in a unique transitional moment when it comes to possibilities for post-industrial economic pathways. With the downsizing of its main industry and employer over the past 3 decades, community members are currently exploring a diverse range of economic possibilities that extend beyond strictly capitalist options. Reading for economic diversity can help us to identify and pursue existing and potential economic pathways that enhance wellbeing for human and nonhuman community members. Knowing that outcomes of such an emergent process cannot be taken for granted, tracking ideas and practices as we have done here is critical for this kind of collaborative research, as it helps to enhance reflexivity and inform decisions.

Upload file

Suggested citation

Newbury, J. Gibson, K. 2016. "Post-industrial Pathways for a 'Single Industry Resource Town. A Community Economies Approach." In The Anthropology of Disconnection: Ethnographies of Post-industrialism, edited by I. Vaccaro, K. Harper and S. Murray. New York: Routledge.