Today I was down again at
Birmingham for my supervision. I am still struggling with the size
change from writing papers of 6,000 word size to writing chapters of
12-18,000 words that make up a thesis of 80,000 words. The big thing I
am struggling with is writing the theory into the analysis. There is a
still a definite gap and I am not making the connections. My supervisor
was kind enough to say that my description was theory driven but I was
not making the connection clear to others. So it is back to the drawing
board, although James and Ruth will be glad to here that the detailed
description about car parking has been put into an appendix as a case
study. There looks as if there will be three case studies, one from St
Andrew's Edgerton and two from Ulverstane. Anyway another major redraft
of this chapter but it should be shorter at the end. If it works then
that is actually a structure for my other two ethnographic data
chapters.
I think I am deciding which piety I
am going to present in the final data chapter. It has to be something
like the piety of Reformed Dissent in England. It is Reformed, in that
like all Protestant churches in the British Isles they tend to draw on
the strand that comes under the Reformed label rather than Lutheran or
Anabaptist. We also do embrace the more thorough implementers of the
Reformed tradition, but we are also shaped by the stance taken by the
CofE. That that was a stance of middle of the road Reforms, and
therefore balance, have led dissent to adopt the alternative approach of
tolerance, I claim my freedom ot practice my faith according to the
lights the Lord has given me, in return I allow you to practice yours
according to your lights. We don't just accept this, we make a positive
virtue of it.
My supervisor asked how I felt
about writing now. I got as far as I enjoy writing and then got
distracted. Writing is something I enjoy, but there are bits I find
really difficult, changing chapters and getting my head around another
area, pulling back from the very, very detailed information I have both
in my head and my notes so as to write more theoretically. The whole complex internal structure that I have to do. I
am pretty sure that by the autumn I will just want to get rid of it,
but at present it is too much of a challenge and I need to keep writing,
I really suspect if I stop the effort to continue will outface me.
The photos attached are part of
the end result of a study by Chris Shannahan of the relationship of social exclusion, urban youth and spiritualities. He did his
doctorate with Martin and Martin has acted as an advisor on this
project. I ended up at one stage presenting my experience as an
ethnographer to a class that included him.
So this month I need to do the
redrafting while doing the initial draft of bits of the next chapter. So
no prizes for guess what I expect to be doing during any extra time off
in Holy Week.
Oh by the way I have found a couple of things this month. The reference from Barth I was searching for I managed to cross reference, secondly I have found where to find a full transcription of John Robinson's address to the Pilgrim Fathers. In his published works, but that was published last in 1851. I think I might be hunting through old libraries!
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