WHITENESS SPATIAL IMAGINARY: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Spatial Advantages of whiteness are…

• access to superior schools

• protection from environmental hazards

• access to cheaper forms of credit

• proximity to sources of employment

• Inclusion in worth-of-mouth networks about jobs and social opportunities

• better services form the underfunded public sphere

Redlining in the 1940’s (Federal housing Policies)

Deeming areas where racial minorities predominantly reside as financially risky, leading to a denial of essential services, primarily home loans and insurance.

• Gave very little of these nonwhite communities and gave alot to these white, wealthy homebuyers

What was the key source of wealth gap for Homeownership?

Discrimination led many African Americans to buy homes in less desirable neighborhoods and pay high interest rates, which led to foreclosure

Federal Tax Money towards where in the 1940’s and 1950’s?

Routinely funded construction of water and sewage facilities for racially exclusive suburban communities

What is the history of freeways in contributing to discrimination?

Federally funded highway projects designed to connect suburban commuters w/ downtown businesses but destroyed already scarce housing in minority communities

“Urban Renewal” in the 50’s/60’s"

Federal assisted urban renewal projects destroyed 20% minority (Black) housing units vs the 10% white housing units. 90% of low-income housing that was destroyed never got replaced.

What did Urban Renewal help to construct?

• Helped to construct a new “white” identity in the suburbs by helping destroy ethnically specific European inner city enclaves

• Ethnic differences became less important while race became more

• suburbs turn “ethics” into “whites”

Describe the viscous cycle of Urban Renewal

Population loss led to decreased political power among minority neighborhoods→ more urban renewal (also placement locations for waste, prisons, incinerators)

The loss of taxable properties/abatement for new businesses meant serious ——- ——- for poor working class and middle class homeowners & renters

tax increase

Urban Renewal did shift the US economy away from ——- production and towards ——- ——-

factory, producer services

2 broad economic trends (Urban Renewal)

• shift to Post-Fordist economy

• increase in property values

What is the Fordist economy?

• Mass production/mass consumption

• economies of scale (high quantity, low costs)

• Taylorism, assembly line

• (ex. a factory produces a million identical black shirts)

• stable profits

What is Post Fordism?

• small batch production and flexible specialization

• Economies of scope: wide variety of products made by using same flexible machinery

• (ex. factory that can produce a 100,000 types of shirts)

• multi-skilled, contractual work

• cars, shipbuilding, transport equip, steel, rubber

As inequalities and social tension rose fixed configuration of big ——-, big —— and big —— began to crumble

labor, business, government

• OPEC deciding to raise oil prices

Mode of Flexible Accumulation

Relies on adaptability in labor, markets, products, and consumer patterns. It features new production sectors, innovative financial services, expanding markets, and rapid commercial, technological, and organizational innovation.

Postmodern Condition: shift from consumption of —— to consumption of ——

goods, services