Neither Busybodies nor Nobodies: Managing Proximity and Distance in Neighbourly Relations

Abstract

This article reflects on empirical findings from research into neighbour relations conducted in a small town on the south coast of England. Competing accounts exist of the changing nature of relations between neighbours, and of the sources of pressures for relations with neighbours to combine privacy and sociability. The empirical findings reported on here shed light on the reasons behind people's involvement with or detachment from neighbours, in the process revealing their conceptions of a `good neighbour'. The article argues that it is a skilful accomplishment for neighbours to establish and maintain a workable balance between `keeping one's distance' and `being there when needed'. Little evidence was found of face-to-face relationships between neighbours conforming to the stereotypes of intrusive `nosy neighbours' or people who reclusively `keep themselves to themselves'. The article concludes that analyses of neighbouring relationships need to capture the interplay of forces which allow individuals greater freedom from community control than was found in the past but which do not herald the redundancy of neighbourhood ties implied in theories of privatization, individualization and globalization. As a result, analysis will need to go beyond the busybody/nobody dichotomy.