Embodying community violence: An examination of adolescents place-embodied experiences and community firearm violence in Detroit, MI

Abstract

The human decisions that shape the built environment have implications for how people interact with these environments, but also how these environments shape the health and social life of people. Recognizing that the built environment can influence social behaviors, firearm scholars have increasingly been attending to the ways that neighborhood institutions and characteristics (Jay, 2022a; Jay, 2022b) contribute to community firearm violence. As scholarship in this area continues to grow, there is an increased need for qualitative and embodied approaches to document experiences and narratives of communities affected by firearm violence. This multi-method instrumental case study (Creswell, 2013) seeks to understand how community assets, design, and personal experiences related to place and community firearm violence are embodied by adolescents (n=20) in Detroit, MI; and the ways in which these place-embodied experiences impact their relationships to place (e.g., feelings of safety) and their experiences with community firearm violence in Detroit. The study will culminate in public community meetings, photography exhibits, and peer reviewed articles to disseminate study findings. By understanding embodiment in relationship to place, we can understand the habits communities engage with around firearms, how they navigate their communities, and how community firearm violence perpetuates itself.