One pattern we have explored in the Observing Civic Engagement Lab is examining where convenings are taking place — that is, the kind of spaces various groups use to gather together.
When you think of civic engagement, you might think of large events that occur on the streets of your city or town — something like a local art festival or pride parade. Protests, riots, celebrations, and community events are the things we can see happening on the streets. But these visible displays of engagement aren’t the only ways people engage. In fact, most civil society organizations meet in spaces that are difficult to see, unless you know where to look.
So if it’s not just on the streets, where else does collective civic engagement happen?
It turns that that civil societies meet in a variety of public and private spaces. You’ve probably seen large events in parks, but maybe you’ve also gone to a church basement yourself for a bible study.
Across cities and towns, people utilize the spaces available to them to meet with others.
People gather in coffee shops and bookstores.
In library rooms and on university campuses.
In function rooms in public buildings.
In worship halls.
In garages, living rooms, and backyards.
At kitchen tables.
We have found that most organizations use private spaces to meet, such as restaurants, cafes, homes, or backyards.
Without research like ours, there are few ways to explore the civic infrastructures as many civil society convenings occur in spaces where traditional research methods cannot reach. By sending our RAs to these spaces and learning more about how they are used, we have access to underrepresented information about civil society organizations.
You might keep an eye out for where civil society organizations are meeting in your city. Better yet, do your own fieldwork! Go get a coffee at an independent cafe at a relatively busy time of day. Sit down with a book you’re not really reading and a notebook and just listen. Keep an eye out for groups of 3-6 people.
Are they all just friends hanging out? Or are they conducting business? Does it sound like a work team from a business? Or are these people organizing a charity event? Planning an activity for youth?
How many different places can you find what sounds like civil society organization meetings in public places? Share your own field stories with us at ocelab@iu.edu!
Professor Matthew Baggetta presented some of these findings at the recent Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) conference in November 2024.