Skip to main content

The Renegotiation of Identity and Alterity in an Economically and Spatially Changing Context: The Case of a Former Industrial and Mining District of Saint-Etienne (France)

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 308 Accesses

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology ((PSUA))

Abstract

In this chapter, the contemporary policy of economic and spatial renewal of Saint-Etienne is interpreted by the inhabitants of a former metallurgic and mining district, which has been largely ignored by the urban local policies of this renewal. Their interpretations are split between two distinct, generational communities: the industrial one and the post-industrial one. Inscribed into these two different discourses, they produce different stereotypical figures of both local identity and alterity. These stereotypes translate the difficulty of understanding both the new global world and the precarious market context in general, and the insecurity posed by the renewal.In particular, the necessity of recognizing this struggle between those residents in the post-industrial and the so-called regenerated society is emphasised.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    In the beginning of the twentieth century, Saint-Etienne was still a growing city hosting new industrial sectors such as bicycle manufacture.

  2. 2.

    ‘Stephanois’ means coming from Saint-Etienne.

  3. 3.

    In France , the notion of “Renouvellement urbain” refers to specific urban policies which I cannot develop here. In this contribution, I use this notion to refer to urban regeneration in general.

References

  • Anderson, B. 2002. L’imaginaire national. Réflexion sur l’origine et l’essor du nationalisme. Paris: Editions La Découverte et Syros.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baczko, B. 1984. Les imaginaires sociaux. Mémoires et espoirs collectifs. Paris: Payot.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belting, H. 2004. Pour une anthropologie des images. Paris: Editions Gallimard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bencharif, L. 2002. Pour une géohistoire de l’immigration maghrébine à Saint-Étienne: entre espace encadré et espace approprié, thèse de doctorat de géographie ‘Villes et sociétés’. Université Jean Monnet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boltanski, L., and E. Chiapello. 1999. Le nouvel esprit du capitalisme. Paris: Editions Gallimard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. 1984. La jeunesse n’est qu’un mot. Question de sociologie, 143–153. Paris: Editions de Minuit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brenner, N., and N. Theodore. 2002. Spaces of Neoliberalism. Urban Restructuring in North America and Western Europe. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubet, F. 1987. La galère, jeunes en survie. Paris: Fayard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galland, O., and A. Stellinger. 2008. Les jeunes et la ville. In Vivre en ville, observatoire des modes de vie urbains, ed. J. Darmon, 183–207. Paris: PUF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannerz, U. 1983. Explorer la ville. Paris: Editions de Minuit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinson, G. 2009. Gouverner la ville par projet. Urbanisme et gouvernance des villes européennes. Paris: Presses de la fondation nationale des sciences politiques.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, M. 2008. Bringing politics back in: la gentrification comme politique de développement urbain? Autour des villes perdantes. Espaces et sociétés 132, 75–80. Paris: Eres éditions.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Vedrine, C. (2018). The Renegotiation of Identity and Alterity in an Economically and Spatially Changing Context: The Case of a Former Industrial and Mining District of Saint-Etienne (France). In: Spyridakis, M. (eds) Market Versus Society. Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74189-5_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74189-5_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74188-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74189-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics