Narrating the Urban in Contemporary Budapest
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The London School of Economics and Political Science NARRATING THE URBAN IN CONTEMPORARY BUDAPEST Attila Szanto A thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology at the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy London, July 2010 UMI Number: U615721 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615721 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 DECLARATION I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD de gree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. 2 nksh itxatyo* PoWtca lafaitmty.Sf.imftf ABSTRACT This explorative study seeks to contribute to an empirically grounded understanding of urban narratives in contemporary Budapest. It argues in favour of the narrative quality of the urban experience and then reconstructs core aspects that affect it: identification with social collectivities, personal memories, the design of the city, and individuals’ sense of being at home in it. The thesis shows how these aspects intertwine and jointly shape urban narratives, and in doing so, it argues against the study of any of these aspects in isolation. The thesis draws on twenty in-depth interviews conducted in 2005 and 2006. Inter viewees’ narratives not only help identify the above mentioned aspects, but are also appreci ated for providing insight into themes that govern their urban experiences in Budapest today. Since the late nineteenth century, Budapest has been subjected to six different economic and political regimes, two World Wars and the 1956 uprising. The city has changed again consid erably since the end of state socialism in 1989. From a sociological point of view, these are particularly exciting times: urban changes are likely to challenge habitual ways of relating to the city, and individuals’ efforts to re-define their narratives can be expected to reveal a great deal about otherwise less obviously manifest aspects that affect these. After introducing the methods of the empirical study and an overview of the history of Budapest, the thesis devotes one chapter to each of the four aspects mentioned above.First, it discusses narratives that contain obvious references to social collectivities, with an emphasis on status to which almost every other interviewee referred. Second', it explores how personal memories affect narratives of Budapest, and pays particular attention to the remembering and forgetting of socialism. Third, it addresses Budapest as a site of weak social control and the related level of individual freedom, and then looks at the interplay between urban form and the lived body. Finally, the thesis reveals the significance of individuals’ sense of belonging to the city, and shows how it has been challenged by Budapest’s recent changes. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the mundane world, there is always a story prior to the one that we are about to tell, but sometimes we are better advised not to make it public. The official narrative of this thesis therefore begins in its fourth year. It was then that David Frisby kindly accepted to act as its main supervisor, in fact, as its first supervisor in a substantial sense. Without his dedicated work and careful advice, the thesis could not have been completed. If I were asked to name the ten good qualities of an ideal supervisor, I would simply describe those I observed in him. I owe special gratitude to Bridget Hutter who has been an invaluable source of support throughout the past five years. I am thankful for the opportunity to work for her, as well as for her advice and practical help during difficult times. Don Slater and Nigel Dodd commented on earlier versions of chapters one to four. Their feedback helped me a great deal in structuring the thesis. I would also like to thank my friends Susanne Weber and Alma-Mira Demszky for discussions, advice and practical help. Thanks also to Zsuzsa Mild for transcribing most of the interviews, and to Sue Redgrave for helping me with the English. Last but not least, I would like to thank my then girlfriend and now wife Ago Tokes for her patience throughout these years, and for reminding me about other important things in life. Among the many conditions facilitating the completion of a PhD thesis, financial ones oc cupy a prominent position. Therefore, I would like to thank those institutions that funded my research at various stages: the German Academic Exchange Service, the British Journal of Sociology, and the LSE Department of Sociology. 4 Table of Contents Declaration.................................................................................................................... 2 A bstract .......................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 4 List of Illustrations, Photographs and M aps........................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 1 ON NARRATIVE URBAN SUBJECTIVITY........................ 19 1.1 Subjectivity as Narrative Subjectivity ................................................................. 19 1.2 Connecting the City to O neself .......................................................................... 30 1.3 An Extended Approach to Narratives............................................................... 36 CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCING BUDAPEST................................................. 62 3.1 Budapest Between 1873 and 1914...................................................................... 62 3.2 1914-1956: Four Decades of Stagnation ........................................................... 68 3.3 Budapest During Socialism................................................................................. 70 3.4 Budapest Since 1989............................................................................................. 80 CHAPTER 4 SOCIAL COLLECTIVITIES................................................. 93 4.1 Narratives of Status and Class......................................................................... 93 4.2 Other Social Collectivities................................................................................ 119 4.3 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 121 CHAPTER 5 REMEMBERED PLACES, EMPLACED MEMORIES ... 123 5.1 Memory, Narrative and Place .......................................................................... 123 5.2 Memories of Socialism ...................................................................................... 145 5.3 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 153 CHAPTER 6 URBAN LIFE AND URBAN FORMS................................... 155 6.1 The Urban Way of Life ................................... 156 6.2 Urban Form and the Lived Body .................................................................... 166 6.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 184 CHAPTER 7 HOME AND BELONGING................................................. 185 7.1 Repetition, Familiarity, Belonging................................................................... 186 7.2 Belonging as Identification............................................................................... 206 7.3 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 212 CONCLUSION................................................................................................. 213 Maps of Budapest..................................................................................................... 223 Bibliography............................................................................................................... 228 Online References....................................................................................................... 248 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAPS Illustrations p.56: Illustration compiled by the author. p.89: Illustration taken from www.toscanakert.hu/keptar/1, last accessed 5 June 2010. p.92: Illustration taken from www.kavehazak.hu/tema/content.phpPid^^bO,