ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on insights from visual sociology and human geography to consider the ethnographic encounter as a space of intergenerational exchange. Building on theoretical developments in children's geography, sociology and methodological insights from visual sociology and discursive psychology, the chapter considers the ways in which the ethnographic encounter makes visible the complex dynamics of intergenerational relationships. The analysis draws on sequences of ethnographic film-making with young people, focusing on exchanges between the child-interviewers and their adult subjects in order to explore the ways in which residents articulate their experiences of life in low-income neighbourhoods. These include sequences in which adults emphasize the positive aspects of community life and disavow wider negative stereotypes and imaginings of poorer places. Finally, the chapter considers how a focus on lived encounters can enable a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which adults and children negotiate a sense of community and inclusion in the face of significant social and economic challenges.
