Keywords
socio-cultural opportunity structure
egalitarian scene
paradox of egalitarianism
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper aims to analyse egalitarian scenes and the relationality of urban place-making and identity-building in processes of community creation in contemporary big cities. Rejecting both ecological determinism as well as cultural reductionism in community studies, the paper applies the theory of scenes (Silver, Clark 2016, Klekotko i in. 2015) in order to explore the cultural impact of urban space on the construction of extra-local egalitarian identity and structuration of egalitarian community.
First part of this paper describes the nature of ecological determinism and cultural reductionism in community studies and points to the concept of scene as a remedy for the gap between these two approaches. It argues that the concept of scenes allows for re-linking of spatial and cultural dimensions of urban community, namely territory with cultural identities, and thus provides a theoretical bridge that overcomes the limitations of ecological (community as neighbourhood) and cultural (community as sense-of-belonging) perspectives on community. The concept of urban scene is then discussed as a sociocultural opportunity structure. The paper argues that scene provides opportunities for social contact, frames interactions as well as brings resources for development of collective consciousness, collaboration and mobilization.
The second part of the article is empirical in nature and, referring to the material collected in both the pilot studies in Berlin and more extensive research carried out in Warsaw and Krakow, provides both an exemplification of the previously discussed relational processes of community formation in the city and describes and explains the paradox of egalitarianism of egalitarian scenes. This part starts with the section dedicated to description of the egalitarian scenes in Berlin (Neukölln), Warsaw (Stary Mokotów) and Cracow (Kazimierz). This description is followed by presentation of the emblematic case of Alex from Neukölln that illustrates and explains the processes of egalitarian scene in action. Finally, in the last section of the empirical part, paradox of egalitarian scenes and communities is explained and discussed. The paper concludes with the statement that egalitarian scene is an aesthetic platform for class struggle and a kind of social and political manifesto.
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