| Summary: | Chapter 8 builds on Chapter 6’s connection of narrative to sense of place and Chapter 7’s connection of narrative to belonging, to create a richer understanding of people’s interactions with places, in general and on Lewis Island. Savage, Bagnall, and Longhurst’s concept of “elective belonging” makes a natural segue, because it switches focus from belonging to a group of people who accept one, to belonging to a place because one finds it meaningful and one commits to it. The discussion broadens with Casey’s philosophical view that people and places mutually create and affect one another. Discussion in this chapter revisits the idea of sharing the island, a stewarding of place, at a deeper level, drawing on the stories of previous chapters and interview material in which participants interpret their relationships with Lewis Island. Subtopics include nature and culture, spirituality, public and private property, changing landscape, change over time, and symbolism.
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