Social Justice and the City Workshop, Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University 4 th 6 th December, 2013 Understandings of Social Justice and the City: Empire & Revolution, Transtopia and Risk Society Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West Economic Geography University of Mannheim Germany kontakt@christinawest.de Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 1
Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism 1. The Urban? Approaches and Discourses 2. Migration/Integration Moments and Concepts of the Discourse 3. Value Orientation Questioning Classical Differentiations 4. Transtopias and Transversal Urbanism - Altered Challenges for Social Justice Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 2
The Urban? - Approaches and Discourses Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 3
The Urban? or Urbanity? Approaches and discourses Newly Developed Urbanities Revitalized Urban Areas Production of The Urban Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 4
The Urban? or Urbanity? Approaches and discourses Right to the City Crisis of the Cities Newly Developed Urbanities Revitalized Urban Areas Production of The Urban Criticism of an urban planning which follows a neo-liberal economic global governance architecture. Inclusion in a structurally unequal and exploitive system, democratizing cities and their decision making processes (Fainstein 2010, Schmid 2012). Is not homogeneous. Exists only if people appropriate it. Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 5
Social Justice and the Urban Approaches and discourses Newly Developed Urbanities Revitalized Urban Areas Production of The Urban Right to the City Crisis of the Cities Social Justice Criticism where? of an urban planning which follows a Social Justice neo-liberal today? economic global Formerly progressive governance city planners architecture focus on material well-being and equity (e. g. equal distribution of housing). Today combination with considerations of diversity and democracy, just participation to foster quality of urban life within the context of a global capitalist political economy. (Fainstein 2010, Uitermark 2012, etc.) Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 6
The Urban? or Urbanity? Approaches and discourses Newly Developed Urbanities Revitalized Urban Areas Production of The Urban Transversal/ Transgressive Identities Transculturality Transethnicity Transnationality Right to the City Crisis of the Cities Criticism of an urban planning which follows a neo-liberal economic global governance architecture Globalization and migration are changing the diversity and the constructions of belonging in cities of the 21 st - Politics and Urban Development between: Creativity, Conformity, Integration, Inclusion, Social Cohesion, Spatial Segregation, Multiculturalism, Interculturality, Diversity, Transculturality, Transethnicity Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 7
Discourse about The Urban several fields of tension can be identified: system individual global local order disorder concepts of society, moral concepts, basic value orientations Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 8
Migration/Integration - Moments of the Discourse Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 9
Discourse Migration/Integration - Concepts These challenges are discussed starting from a fundamental analysis of the evolution of the migration discourse in Europe from a German perspective. Perspective/ Horizon Discourse Migration/Integration - Concepts Concepts of Integration Contextlevel Conception of Space Modern Conformity Cultural Pluralism Melting Pot Structural Pluralism Nation Segregation Concentration Ghetto-Discourses Hybridity Diversity Metropolis Heterotopia Postmodern Transgressive Identities (Transculturality) Glocal, Plurilocal, Transnational, multiple Belongings Transtopia Copyright: Christina West Source: West 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 10
Source: West 2013, 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 11
We and the Others NIP 2007 Copyright: Christina West Source: West 2013, 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 12
Discourse Migration/Integration - Concepts These challenges are discussed starting from a fundamental analysis of the evolution of the migration discourse in Europe from a German perspective. Perspective/ Horizon Discourse Migration/Integration - Concepts Concepts of Integration Contextlevel Conception of Space Modern Conformity Cultural Pluralism Melting Pot Structural Pluralism Nation Segregation Concentration Ghetto-Discourses Hybridity Diversity Metropolis Heterotopia Postmodern Transgressive Identities (Transculturality) Glocal, Plurilocal, Transnational, multiple Belongings Transtopia Copyright: Christina West Source: West 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 13
Impulses or Moments of the Migration Discourse By systematically distinguishing modern and postmodern elements of this discourse, four basic impulses or moments are identified which imply different, partially contradictory or juxtaposed, challenges for social justice and recognition. Copyright: Christina West Source: West 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 14
Transculturality Transethnicity Transnationality The silent revolution of the individual against the Leitdifferenz Transgressive identity constructions evolve due to contingencies of everyday life. Reflected resistance against attributions which form due to constructions along a fixed inflexible Leitdifferenz. Not either or but as well as! Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 15
Transculturality Transethnicity Transnationality Aishe, 22 years old, describes in an interview that as adolescent she always was wrong. For the Turkish children of the neighborhood she always was German as she went to a high school outside of the neighborhood, and for the classmates she always was Turkish: With what right always somebody decides whether I am Turkish or German? Why should I decide? I am both! Own interview 2011 (own translation) in the frame of the project Transkulturalität, Transnationalität, Transethnizität und soziale Lokalität in Europa, names have been changed. Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 16
Moments and Concepts of the Migration Discourse Copyright: Christina West Source: West 2014b Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 17
Value Orientations - Questioning Classical Differentiations Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 18
U-Topias Heterotopias U-topias Gedachter Raum conceived space (conceptualized, imagined) Polis City, Town, Collective Gebauter Raum perceived space (constructed) Copyright: Christina West Heterotopias the other spaces counter-spaces Urbs, Public Gelebter Raum lived space Source: West 2007, 2014a Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 19
Concepts of Power Spinoza (1632-1677) Potestas Potentia unlimited power and control (near violence) (linked to institutions, persons) (restrictive) power as potential enabling potential of power: brings people together, not necessarily targetdriven, but creative Erscheinungsraum (Arendt 1960): becomes apparent always when people come together, vanishing if people leave each other, "space of appearance", as politically organised space realised power by speaking and acting when words and deeds appear inextricably linked to establish and consolidate new relations and thus create new ties. Hannah Arendt 1960: 193f: Vita activa oder Vom tätigen Leben, own translation Power corresponds to the human ability not only to act or do something but also to align oneself with others and to act by mutual consent. Hannah Arendt 1970: Macht und Gewalt, own translation Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 20
Value Orientations model-free considerations Based on: Karl Raimund Popper 1957/2003: Die offene Gesellschaft und ihre Feinde - The open society and it s enemies Novel Theory: closed and open society Novel Method: model-free multivariate analysis Source: West 2007, 2014a Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 21
Urbanity and Value Dimensions Prestige and privacy, suppressing disorder and disturbances Copyright: Christina West creative, die Gestörten (the disturbed ), urban pioneers (early gentrifier), polycontexturality, spontaneous/ abstract orders long-term orientated conformists, socially embedded performative, multiple ties Source: West 2007, 2014a Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 22
Transtopias and Transversal Urbanism/Urbanity - Altered Challenges for Social Justice Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 23
Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Transversal, Transgressive Identities and Values: Challenging Social Justice and the Urban to expand a new (critical) urban theory, methods, practices Yet, critical urban theory assuming prior existence of a society, whose membership is at least in a formal sense, not sufficiently questioned. Postmodern: value orientations and class (theory, methods, practices) abstract, improvisation, contingency, abstract planning randonnees, ephemeral places, fuzzy spaces and borders urban interventions, participation as autonomous politics grey spaces (Grauzonen), governance gaps monolingual habitus 1. antagonism (articulation outside the leading value system), 2. agonism (articulation of difference in the leading value system), 3. refuse; subject/object? (ability to act) memory building? (post-migrants) Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 24
Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Transversal, Transgressive Identities and Values: Challenging Social Justice and the Urban to expand a new (critical) urban theory, methods, practices Yet, critical urban theory assuming prior existence of a society, whose membership is at least in a formal sense, not sufficiently questioned. Brutus or the revolution devours its children from movement to organization, institutionalism (MSO diversity and multiculturalism) social justice and multilocality (adults, children, households) off-borders (no borders, open borders, ) Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 25
References Arendt, Hannah (1960): Vita activa oder Vom tätigen Leben. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer Arendt, Hannah (1970): Macht und Gewalt. München, Zürich: Piper Fainstein, Susan S. (2010): The Just City. Principles and Distinctions. Cornell University Press Popper, Karl R. (1957/2003): Die offene Gesellschaft und ihre Feinde. Der Zauber Platons, Band 1 und 2. 8. Auflage. Tübingen: Mohr/Siebeck Schmid, Christian (2012): Henri Lefebvre, the right to the city and the new metropolitan mainstream. In: Brenner, Neil/Marcuse, Peter/Mayer, Margit: Cities for people, not for profit : critical urban theory and the right to the city. London, New York: Routledge: 42-62 Uitermark, Justus (2012): An actually existing just city? The fight to the right to the city in Amsterdam. In: Brenner, Neil/Marcuse, Peter/Mayer, Margit: Cities for people, not for profit : critical urban theory and the right to the city. 42-62. London, New York: Routledge: 197-214 West, Christina (2009): Politische Utopien und städtische Heterotopien: Protagonisten des gesellschaftlichen Wandels in Barcelona (Political Utopia and Urban Heterotopia: Protagonists of Social Change in Barcelona). In: Schnur, Olaf/Drilling, Matthias (Ed.): Governance der Quartiersentwicklung. Theoretische und praktische Zugänge zu neuen Steuerungsformen. Quartiersforschung: 101-128. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften West, Christina (2013): Integration zwischen Konformität, Interkulturalität, Transkulturalität? (Integration between Conformity, Interculturality, Transculturality?) In: Schnur, Olaf/Zakrzewski, Philipp/Drilling, Matthias (Ed.): Migrationsort Quartier. Zwischen Segregation, Integration und Interkultur. Quartiersforschung 3. Wiesbaden: Springer VS: 195-223 West, Christina (2014a in press): Dimensionen des individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Wandels: Die grundlegenden Orientierungen geschlossen offen und konkret abstrakt als Determinanten der Stadtentwicklung in Barcelona (1986 2005) (Dimensions of individual and social change: the fundamental orientations closed-open and concrete-abstract as determinants of the urban development in Barcelona (1986-2005)). Erdkundliches Wissen. Schriftenreihe für Forschung und Praxis (EW). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag West, Christina (2014b accepted): Zwischen Kulturellem Pluralismus und Transkulturalität. - Postmoderne Momente im Migrations- und Integrationsdiskurs (Between Cultural Pluralism and Transculturality. Postmodern Moments in the Migration and Integration Discourse). In: Forschungs- und Sitzungsberichte der ARL - Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung. Hannover Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 26
Vielen Dank! Thank You! Muchas Gracias! Dr. Christina West Economic Geography (Abt. VWL) University of Mannheim Germany kontakt@christinawest.de Transtopia and Transversal Urbanism Altered Challenges for Social Justice Christina West 27