The research will examine how definitions of `communities of place` are constructed and institutionalized within community stewardship organizations. The rationale for this study stems from recognition that the legitimacy of increased participation in resource management depends on the nature of the claims that groups are able to make relative to a given locality. This depends, in part, on symbolic representations of place and community and on the manner in which power relations are constituted. Case studies of two community stewardship organizations in California's Northern Sierra Nevada region and their relations with four populations of local resource stakeholders will be conducted. The study will contribute to our understanding of conflict and conflict-resolution over natural resources in the Western United States. This is a Doctoral Dissertation Award.
