Subjektivno iskustvo mjesta i nemjesta na primjeru istraživanja Kuglane i McDonald’sa u Karlovcu

Abstract

This paper provides empirical insights about spatial categories of places and non-places from the experiential perspective of participants of two focus groups examined in 2020. Research has shown that the Bowling Club in the HV Zrinski Home in Karlovac corresponds to the idea of place, while McDonald’s reflected the characteristics of non-place in accordance with the views of the authors Relph and Augé, which represented the basic conceptual framework of this paper. Participants portrayed the Bowling Club as a place of personal and communal significance, with which they have emotionally connected at the level of memories, activities and roles, describing it as a home where they feel belonging, safe and relaxed, that is, as insid-ers. McDonald’s, on the other hand, is addressed through the absence of deeper meanings and memories and minimal social relationships, confirming the non-place of an impersonal category in which participants function as outsiders. At the same time, participants’ critical statements surpassed the ideal-type conceptualizations of researched (non)places and pointed to the trend of virtualization of space due to McDonald’s flexible implementation of new technologies by switching to online food delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with the highlighted findings, this paper has actualized a less researched topic in sociology and social sciences, pointing to the need for its further in-depth exploration with reference to more modern theoretical approaches.