The World in Brooklyn
Gentrification, Immigration, and Ethnic Politics in a Global City
Contributions by Noel S. Anderson, Alessandro Busà , Evrick Brown, Jennifer Candipan, Phyllis Conn, Roberta Cordeau, William DiFazio, Shanna Farrell, Kenneth A. Gould, Jerome Krase, Steve Lang, Tammy L. Lewis, Sara Martucci, Lorna Mason, Ed Morlock, Bengisu Peker, Mark Peterson, Christina Pisano, Nicole Riorda, Danielle Shallow, Gregory Smithsimon, Mark Treskon Edited by Judith DeSena, Timothy Shortell Brooklyn College, City Un
Publication date:
22 March 2012Length of book:
430 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
231x159mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780739166703
The World in Brooklyn: Gentrification, Immigration, and Ethnic Politics in a Global City, is a collection of scholarly papers which analyze demographic, social, political, and economic trends that are occurring in Brooklyn. Brooklyn, as the context, reflects global forces while also contributing to them. The idea for this volume developed as the editors discovered a group of scholars from different disciplines and various universities studying Brooklyn. Brooklyn has always been legendary and has more recently regained its stature as a much sought after place to live, work and have fun. Popular folklore has it that most U.S. residents trace their family origins to Brooklyn. It is presently referred to as one of the “hippest” places in New York. Thus, this book is a collection of demographic, ethnographic, and comparative studies which focus on urban dynamics in Brooklyn. The chapters investigate issues of social class, urban development, immigration, race, ethnicity and politics within the context of Brooklyn.
As a whole, this book considers both theoretical and practical urban issues. In most cases the scholarly perspective is on everyday life. With this in mind there are also social justice concerns. Issues of social segregation and attendant homogenization are brought to light. Moreover, social class and race advantages or disadvantages, as part of urban processes, are underscored through critiques of local policy decisions throughout the chapters. A common thread is the assertion by contributors that planning the future of Brooklyn needs to include multi-ethnic, racial, and economic groups, those very residents who make-up Brooklyn.
As a whole, this book considers both theoretical and practical urban issues. In most cases the scholarly perspective is on everyday life. With this in mind there are also social justice concerns. Issues of social segregation and attendant homogenization are brought to light. Moreover, social class and race advantages or disadvantages, as part of urban processes, are underscored through critiques of local policy decisions throughout the chapters. A common thread is the assertion by contributors that planning the future of Brooklyn needs to include multi-ethnic, racial, and economic groups, those very residents who make-up Brooklyn.
Mobility defines Brooklyn, a place of arrival and aspiration. Waves of immigrants have shaped and reshaped the borough's neighborhoods; gentrifiers have discovered and revived its brownstone-lined streets, recreating value destroyed by periods of municipal divestment. In this sense, Brooklyn is more like other cities than not. This edited volume balances these universal, generalizable aspects with particular historical-geographical perspectives on Brooklyn's diversities. The second chapter analyzes demographic trends, using maps to show where various ethnic groups have settled over the past decade. The following chapters effectively use case studies to examine gentrification, productions of space, and politics. Oft-examined neighborhoods such as Coney Island and Williamsburg are included, as well as less familiar places such as Canarsie and Sunset Park. Unique perspectives on places, such as education politics in Fort Greene and the visual semiotics of immigrant retail landscapes, add interest. Chapters are uniformly well written, with clear literature reviews that establish theoretical frameworks supported by ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, statistics, and other forms of qualitative and quantitative data. This attention to method makes this collection particularly well suited for use in a variety of courses. Many illustrations, graphs, and tables enhance an already lively text. Summing Up: Highly recommended.