Spirits in a material world: representations of gentrification in US urban centers

197 Pages·2012·1.71 MB·English

UC San Diego
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Title
Spirits in a material world : representations of gentrification in U.S. urban centers
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5m06682t
Author
Arancibia, Adrián E.
Publication Date
2012

Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation
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University of California
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

Spirits in a Material World:
Representations of Gentrification in U.S. Urban Centers

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy

in

Literature

by

Adrián E. Arancibia

Committee in Charge:

Professor Rosaura Sánchez, Chair
Professor Luis Alvarez
Professor Jaime Concha
Professor Stephanie Jed
Professor Marta Sánchez

2012
Signature Page

The Dissertation of Adrián E. Arancibia is approved and it is acceptable in quality and
form for publication on microfilm and electronically:

Chair

University of California, San Diego

2012

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to my family. I am especially indebted to my wife Delia
Arancibia and my parents Adrián and Victoria Arancibia, for they have sacrificed to
help me accomplish my dreams. Lastly, I would like to thank my friend and colleague
Carlton Floyd, whose support and guidance has helped me finish this project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Signature Page ........................................................................................................................... iii
Dedication ................................................................................................................................. iv
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... v
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... vi
Vita ........................................................................................................................................... vii
Abstract of the Dissertation ..................................................................................................... viii
Chapter I: Spirits In a Material World - Introduction................................................................. 1
Chapter II: Spirits In a Material World - New York ................................................................ 15
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 15
New York - Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem .......................................................... 16
Analysis of Texts .............................................................................................................. 37
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 48
Chapter III: Spirits In a Material World - Chicago .................................................................. 50
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 50
Chicago - West Side, Austin, Humboldt Park .................................................................. 53
Analysis of Texts .............................................................................................................. 69
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 80
Chapter IV: Spirits In a Material World - San Francisco ......................................................... 84
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 84
San Francisco – Fillmore District, Manilatown, Mission District .................................... 86
Analysis of Texts ............................................................................................................ 109
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 118
Chapter V: Spirits in a Material World - Los Angeles ........................................................... 123
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 123
Los Angeles – Chavez Ravine, Echo Park, Downtown ................................................. 125
Analysis of Texts ............................................................................................................ 151
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 166
Chapter VI: Spirits In a Material World - Conclusion ........................................................... 171
Work Cited ............................................................................................................................. 184

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: An aerial photograph as a palimpsest. Dodger Stadium and the neighborhood it
erased. ..................................................................................................................................... 155

Figure 2: The faceless paletero.. ............................................................................................ 162

Figure 3: A faceless, homeless denizen. ................................................................................. 162

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VITA
1994 Bachelor of Arts, University of California, San Diego
2000-2004 Teaching Assistant, Department of Literature
2002 Master of Arts, University of California, San Diego
2005 Professor, San Diego Miramar College
2012 Doctor of Philosophy, University of San Diego

AWARDS
2002 Research Fellowship Center for International and Latin American
Studies

FIELDS OF STUDY
Studies in Twentieth Century Latin American Literature

Studies in Twentieth Century Ethnic American Literature

Studies in Creative Writing

Studies in U.S. Latino Literature

Studies in Race Theory and Ethnic Studies
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ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Spirits in a Material World:
Representations of Gentrification in U.S. Urban Centers

by

Adrián E. Arancibia

Doctor of Philosophy in Literature

University of California, San Diego, 2012

Professor Rosaura Sánchez, Chair

This dissertation proposes that literary texts can capture and reflect how
representational spaces are conjured up by authors to inscribe a hidden past. This
hidden past is often subsumed from the official narratives approved by redevelopment
agencies and the state. This dissertation also argues that it is imperative to see these
inscriptions of the past as haunting reminders demanding that we remember the people
and spaces removed from gentrified neighborhoods. These specters of history leave us
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ill at ease, wondering what can and should be done in the future to address the
inequities of dislocation and relocation that result from gentrification. These specters
permit a recuperation of “subjugated knowledge” where the violence of the past
permits itself to be seen through the inscription of a historical past to neighborhoods
facing gentrification. They inscribe a past so as to develop an oppositional narrative
that defers resistance into the future so as to change the desire of residents. That is, the
texts examined here ask longtime residents to challenge future encroachments of
gentrification while asking newer residents to understand the subjugated histories of
the neighborhood and to understand that their existence within a neighborhood carries
real, and sometimes, unintended consequences into a neighborhood. For these reasons,
this dissertation examines texts from New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los
Angeles in order to excavate these histories. The dissertation thus offers examples of
how to face and challenge gentrification in the United States.
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