MentalPolyphonics
Smash monogamy.
March 19, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Tagged: anthropology, homeless, poverty, urban, vancouver
The argument has been made in Victoria that there are synergies when social services are clustered together that outweight the ghettoization of a neighbourhood. This argument could also be applied to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The Tyee recently ran a different, rather surprising argument:
The majority of Downtown Eastside residents have life situations that are similar to each other and different from the situations of the residents of any other neighbourhood. This congregation of difference creates a unique culture.* In particular, the culture is more community-oriented. Gentrification of the neighbourhood will destroy this unique culture.
* Testing whether this is true for language, (street) art and cultural rituals is an entire anthropology research program.
I thought this set a good overview. Also: there is very little...
Jack
Everything gets eaten by the economy.
That culture better pray it’s not unique. It’d better start churning out art like crazy and hope something is cross-cultural enough to resonate and go viral, making them all rich.
Otherwise it’ll all be condos for accountants.