“It’s a Two-Way Thing”: Symbolic Boundaries and Convivial Practices in Changing Neighbourhoods in London and Tshwane

Susanne Wessendorf and Tamlyn Monson
Additional contact information
Susanne Wessendorf: Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK
Tamlyn Monson: Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK

Urban Planning, 2023, vol. 8, issue 4, 6-16

Abstract: While there is a considerable body of literature on symbolic boundaries that engages with long-established/newcomer configurations, work on conviviality has only rarely taken this angle, despite its general focus on contexts of immigration-related diversity. This article connects these works of literature by examining insider-outsider configurations between long-established residents and newcomers in two very different contexts of rapid demographic change, where the established population is already marginalized and feels further threatened by newcomers. Drawing on ethnographic research in Newham, UK, and Mshongo, South Africa, we advance debates on conviviality by revealing how perceptions of inequality, lack of civility, and lack of reciprocity shape symbolic boundaries against newcomers, which may, in turn, be softened by convivial practices. We also consider what the differences between the sites might reveal about the enabling conditions for conviviality in such neighbourhoods.

Keywords: conviviality; exclusion; inequality; informal settlements; marginalization; migration; reciprocity; squatters; struggle discourse; symbolic boundaries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/6267 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:urbpla:v8:y:2023:i:4:p:6-16

DOI: 10.17645/up.v8i4.6267

Access Statistics for this article

Urban Planning is currently edited by Tiago Cardoso

More articles in Urban Planning from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().