A symposium exploring the theme ‘Stigmatising Neighbourhoods’ took place at West End Youth Centre, Ballinacurra-Weston on November 4th 2011. Organised by the University of Limerick’s Department of Sociology and Institute for the Study of Knowledge in Society (ISKS), the event, attended by over 100 people, examined how disadvantaged neighbourhoods come to be stigmatised.
This symposium was chaired by TV3 Presenter and Irish Times columnist Vincent Browne and examined evidence from local, national and international settings including Limerick, Dublin, Utrecht and Glasgow. Matthieu Permentier, Netherlands Institute of Social Research, presented “Neighbourhood Reputations: Lessons from the Netherlands". Annette Hastings, from the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, discussed “Stigmatised neighbourhoods and public service provision: a case of ‘misrecognition’?” Speaking about “The Media and Moyross” were Amanda Haynes, Martin Power & Eoin Devereux from the Department of Sociology, UL. Finally, Brian Conway, Department of Sociology, NUI Maynooth spoke of “The Miracle of Fatima – Media Framing and the Regeneration of a Dublin Housing Estate”.
The event marked the commencement of the University of Limerick’s new MA in Sociology (Youth, Community and Social Regeneration). The programme will allow students to critically examine issues pertaining to regeneration in Limerick and beyond.