Fishing in the Mainstream: Anomie, Sustainability, and Narrative Stewardship1

• Main Author: Groth, Charlie
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: University Press of Mississippi 2019
• Subjects: Lewis Island
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496820365.003.0009

Chapter 9 seeks to apply what was learned at the Lewis Fishery and on Lewis Island to help solve social problems in this historic moment. It follows the trajectory Casey’s work starts, considering what place means in an era of large scale dis-placement through electronic technologies. The chapter argues that powerful forces in this rapidly changing digital age have brought on another era of anomie, including negative psychological symptoms similar to those that accompanied industrialism. In opposition to the myths of perpetual, technological, and material progress, a sustainability model is considered. Jonathan Hawke’s concepts of the “four pillars” of sustainability are applied to Lewis Island culture, using theory and community members’ interpretations, and focusing on cultural sustainability. Narrative stewardship is suggested as one strategy for staving off anomie, using of technologies while not losing the powers of community and place.