Possibilities of Urban Belonging |
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Authors: | Harald Bauder |
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Institution: | Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | Many migrants who inhabit cities are illegalized, excluded from formal membership in urban communities, and denied full participation in urban life. In this article, I examine the possibilities of all inhabitants to belong to the city. Drawing on Ernst Bloch, David Harvey, Henry Lefebvre, and others, I theorize different “layers” of possibility and review the literature to explore how these layers apply to urban belonging. Furthermore, I investigate how urban protests and activist practices can materially transform the city to be more accommodating to illegalized migrants, while evoking the different layers of possibility. I conclude with a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications of contemplating the possibilities of urban belonging. |
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Keywords: | illegalized migrants utopian imagination domicle right to the city sanctuary cities urban protests |
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