The presentation develops the concept of ‘defensive urban citizenship’ (DUC), which denotes the
making of urban identity inspired by residents’ protection of their ‘turf’ in the face of perceived
local threats. These include alongside massive regeneration plans, increasing cultural diversity,
which results from both international migration and gentrification. Drawing on the case of the
southeastern neighborhoods of Tel-Aviv, it argues that while the city has been pushing
relentlessly an urban agenda of cultural (super)diversity, residents have developed far less
favorable attitudes towards it, fearing alienation, a surge in housing costs, and displacement from
their own neighborhoods.
Drawing on a broad range of qualitative methods, including interviews, participant observation,
media content and discourse analysis, the paper illustrates the disillusionment of old long-time
residents with cultural (super)diversity, and documents their mobilization efforts to defend their
imperiled spaces against these threats. It concludes by pointing out the analytical advantages of
using Defensive Urban Citizenship as a new analytical prism through which to understand social
urban relations under conditions of (super)diversity in and beyond Tel Aviv.
| Open to | all |
|---|---|
| Prior registration | requested |
| Organised by | Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Social and Educational Studies |
| Contact organizer of event | Grigoleit-Richter.Grit@uni-passau.de |
