For the Benefit of All? Re-evaluation of Intersectionality in Gentrification Processes

The dominant stream of Urban Studies research links ethnic or racial marginalization and class-based marginalization resulting out of gentrification processes.

But in doing so, it overlooks a more complex relationship between class and ethnicity and cases in which gentrification is led by middle-class ethnic groups.

In particular, there is limited research into the conditions within which class affiliation and interests may overcome considerations of ethnicity.

Thus, there are even fewer studies focusing on the consequences of such processes for inter- and intra-ethnic relations.

The current study takes the critical stance that without a more precise and intersectional lens, research may fail to acknowledge the potential benefits of gentrification for middle-class ethnic groups.

Moreover, efforts to tackle the inequalities experienced by minority residents of gentrifying neighborhoods are themselves likely to perpetuate systems of inequalities towards working-class ethnic populations.

To address this research gap, the aims of the proposed project are: (1) To map, describe, and categorize ethnic/racial-led gentrification in US cities;(2) To explore the relationship between class and ethnic affiliations in the case of ethnic-led gentrification; and (3) To examine and theorize patterns of resistance and promotion in relation to ethnic-led gentrification.

The research project will employ a qualitative in-depth case study approach, encompassing a preliminary review of existing literature of ethnic/racial-led gentrification in US cities.

The research will take the form of an in-depth analysis of Barrio Logan, a Latinx neighborhood in San Diego currently experiencing ethnic-led gentrification. The case study will be directed by various qualitative methods. Data analysis will include a thematic analysis.

The study has an innovative contribution to re-evaluating the intersectionality of ethnicity and class in a way that will enrich the current scientific knowledge.