The experiential effects of gentrification: Changing senses of place in Woodstock, Cape Town

Maita, Gianna

The experiential effects of gentrification: Changing senses of place in Woodstock, Cape Town

Thesis / Dissertation

2018

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Political Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

How does gentrification-related displacement alter one's sense of place? How have Woodstock residents' and evictees' senses of place been altered and how do those changes affect their lives? This minor dissertation delves into theories of place - place-making, place attachment, senses of place, and place-identity - and how those theories manifest in the gentrifying neighbourhood of Woodstock, Cape Town. Woodstock's environment, culture and character, as well as the phenomenologically identifiable effects of dispossession and displacement as results of gentrification, were explored through participant observation and unstructured interviews. Local news articles and qualitative data from NGOs were also analysed for a deeper understanding of residents' experiences in the neighbourhood and evictees' experiences of displacement. The dissertation begins by determining how Woodstock gentrified. It moves on to discuss what changes have been made to the identity of Woodstock as a place and the impact those changes have had on the experiences of people in Woodstock. It is concluded that black, coloured and working class residents - both those who are physically displaced and those who manage to remain despite the unaffordability of living in Woodstock - are being dispossessed of culture, relationships, support networks, and other experiences that were associated with their communities and livelihoods before gentrification began.

Keywords

Justice and Transformation

Reference:

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Masters

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