Tag: gentrification

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Update Research Projects 2019

Kiyosumi Shirakawa

The second half of 2019 is already in full swing and next to existing research projects which will be out in print soon (update follows) new research projects focus on alternative lifestyles and new social entrepreneurs in areas as for example Koenji, Kyojima or Kiyosumi Shirakwa.

In a recent fieldnote about Kiyosumi Shirakawa:
“Many similar cafes have popped up in the last year, turning Kiyosumi Shirakawa more and more into Tokyo coffee paradise, a trend the neighbourhood is already known for. Shop owners offer you happily something to try, the tofu store is crowded with locals who look for healthy and cheap products just before dinner time, and hip places like the Artichoke chocolate store or the newest shop Cheese no Koe, a cheeseshop specializing in cheese from Hokkaido, blend in a unique way into the local neighbourhood. Nevertheless, some locals fear that also this neighbourhood becomes a burgeoning place in which hip and new alternatives settle, causing a new wave of gentrification.” (19th June 2019)

For more updates, please check the research project site: https://heideimai.com/portfolio/gentrifying-japan/

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Cultural Typhoon Conference 2019

Cultural Typhoon 2n June 2019

Heide Imai was presenting together with Florian Purkarthoefer (University Vienna) the paper Gentrification, Revitalization or what: Changing Scapes, Spaces and Places in Japan at the Cultural Typhoon Conference 2019, taking at Keio University from 1st-2nd June, as a first result of an ongoing research project called Gentrifying Japan.

The presentation attracted a wider audience and people from the field of interdisciplinary Asian and cultural studies including visual anthropology, critical social and community studies. The main questions which were raised during the presentation were 1) who is not included/not profiting and in what way people resist, protest or find other ways to make their voices against the ongoing processes heard, 2) what role do artists play in the process, as these often do not want to be part of differen tcreative policies, yet also need spaces and means to make a living, and 3) how our paper is contributing to the wider, global debate which we critized for being too general to be cover the diversity and complexity of different cases, especially of the existing variety of urban spheres in East Asia. With this feedback in mind, we will finalize our data set and prepare our paper for publication.

For more information and updates, please refer to https://www.researchgate.net/project/Gentrifying-Japan