Each Wednesday, I write a post that is from my dissertation.
Over the last few Wednesdays, I have shared with you several sources of scrapbooking norms (e.g., scrapbooking celebrities, friends and family, industry workers). Today, I begin a discussion of what the norms of scrapbooking are. Most scrapbookers and industry workers (broadly defined) argue that one of the major appealing points of scrapbooking is that it does not have any rules. And compared to other leisure activities, such as sports, they are correct. Even if there are not really rules, there are norms—expectations and patterns of behavior that are followed.
Scrapbooking norms can be grouped into a few categories: purpose of scrapbooking, viewing the scrapbook, and telling the story.
The Purpose of Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is many things to many people and has varied purposes. Overall, scrapbooking is relaxing and a fun way to archive one’s memories for future generations and spend time with others. Not all people scrapbook for these reasons, but most do at least some of the time. I discuss each of these reasons and a fourth category, other purposes that respondents mention over the next few Wednesdays.
Related posts:
Stephanie
Stephanie Medley-Rath is a sociologist and scrapbooker who studies scrapbooking and memory keeping. Scrapworthy Lives is a blog focused on her sociological analysis of scrapbooking, with a sprinkling of posts about Stephanie's own scrapbooking projects.
