The Role of Place in Racial Identity Formation, Social Cohesion, Accord, and Discord in Two Historic, Black Gentrifying Atlanta Neighborhoods
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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Sociology Dissertations Department of Sociology 4-9-2010 The Ties that Bind: The Role of Place in Racial Identity Formation, Social Cohesion, Accord, and Discord in Two Historic, Black Gentrifying Atlanta Neighborhoods Barbara Harris Combs Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Combs, Barbara Harris, "The Ties that Bind: The Role of Place in Racial Identity Formation, Social Cohesion, Accord, and Discord in Two Historic, Black Gentrifying Atlanta Neighborhoods." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2010. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss/50 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Sociology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE TIES THAT BIND: THE ROLE OF PLACE IN RACIAL IDENTITY FORMATION, SOCIAL COHESION, ACCORD, AND DISCORD IN TWO HISTORIC, BLACK GENTRIFYING ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOODS by BARBARA HARRIS COMBS Under the Direction of Charles Jaret ABSTRACT Recent research has uncovered a new phenomenon in some distressed areas, black gentrification. Black gentrification follows the same pattern as mainstream gentrification with one notable exception: In black gentrifying neighborhoods both the poor and working class residents who resided in the neighborhood prior to its gentrification and the new residents of greater economic means are black. An additional hallmark of black gentrification that distinguishes it from traditional gentrification is that black gentrifiers in black gentrifying neighborhoods often feel a responsibility or obligation to their lower income black neighbors. Prior to the economic downturn in the United States, some in-town Atlanta neighborhoods were undergoing black gentrification. Amidst the current mortgage foreclosure epidemic facing the U.S., distressed urban areas like the ones under study, which began to gentrify in the last ten to twenty years, can easily fall prey to mortgage fraud and/or further decline. Sustained revitalization efforts require that the neighborhoods maintain a critical density level; therefore, neighborhoods cannot afford to lose more citizens. My dissertation focuses on two historic, black gentrifying in-town Atlanta neighborhoods: the Old Fourth Ward and the West End. The Old Fourth Ward is the location of the birth home of one of Atlanta s most celebrated sons, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The West End, once a center of black consciousness in the city, now boasts one of the highest mortgage fraud rates in the nation. Revitalization efforts in both communities are in jeopardy. This dissertation explores ways to strengthen social and economic cohesion in these gentrifying black communities. Specifically, I argue that attachment to the neighborhood space (something I term place affinity ) has the potential to obviate social tensions in gentrifying black communities and bind residents to each other and the social space they all occupy. INDEX WORDS: Gentrification, Black gentrification, Place, Place affinity, Space, Attachment, Social cohesion, Gentrifying communities, Homeowners, Renters, Racial identity formation, Accord, Discord THE TIES THAT BIND: THE ROLE OF PLACE IN RACIAL IDENTITY FORMATION, SOCIAL COHESION, ACCORD, AND DISCORD IN TWO HISTORIC, BLACK GENTRIFYING ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOODS by BARBARA HARRIS COMBS A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2010 Copyright by Barbara Harris Combs 2010 THE TIES THAT BIND: THE ROLE OF PLACE IN RACIAL IDENTITY FORMATION, SOCIAL COHESION, ACCORD, AND DISCORD IN TWO HISTORIC, BLACK GENTRIFYING ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOODS by BARBARA HARRIS COMBS Committee Chair: Charles Jaret Committee: Katherine Hankins Deirdre Oakley Adia Harvey Wingfield Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2010 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is devoted to my family: my loving husband, Darrell; my children, Breann and Jason; and my mother, Ruby Mae. Darrell, if I had it to do all over again, I would choose you. Jason and Breann you are my joy and my inspiration. Mom, when my children are grown, I hope I can be the kind of mother to them that you have been to me, and I hope you are around to see it! Thank you each for all the sacrifices that you made so that I could live my dream. I cannot tell you how much your patience, love, and encouragement have meant. I could never have done this without you. I only hope that I can play some small role in helping each of you to fulfill your dreams. You deserve it. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Taking that first step sounds like an easy proposition, but of course, it is not. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my chair, Dr. Charles Jaret, for helping me to figure out my first steps and for minimizing the missteps along my journey. To be certain, I still made mistakes, but I am convinced that I would have made many more were it not for his tutelage. Thank you, Dr. Jaret, for your criticism and for your encouragement, both of which were invaluable. Your insights made me a better researcher, student, and writer, and I am forever grateful. I also want to thank Dr. Katherine Hankins for her support. Whether it was a friendly face, a helpful article, a dependable referral for map assistance, an insightful comment, or a shoulder to lean on, I could always count on you. Thank you for bringing the perspectives of your discipline, geography, to this work. Many thanks also to Dr. Deirdre Oakley for her assistance and insight in my Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant application to HUD and to Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield for helping me to see, understand, and appreciate the richness of the text. I owe a special thank you to Matt Chapman for creating my maps and Census tables. In addition to intellectual and emotional support from the individuals listed above and others, this research would not have been possible without financial support from two sources. I want to acknowledge and thank the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a generous Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (DDRG) and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) for a Doctoral Dissertation Year Fellowship. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................xiv LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................... xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................. 3 Purpose and Analytical Objectives of the Study ........................................................................9 Need for the Study....................................................................................................................... 14 Research Questions .....................................................................................................................16 Hypotheses ...................................................................................................................................17 Definitions ....................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON BLACK GENTRIFICATION .24 Central Themes and Ideas in Studies of Black Gentrification................................................26 Intra-racial Dynamics in Black Gentrification Neighborhoods .......................................... 27 Tensions, Disagreements, and Conflict...............................................................................27 Solidarity and Cooperation in Black Gentrification Neighborhoods. ............................. 31 Racial Uplift. .........................................................................................................................33 Boundary Work. ...................................................................................................................34 Neighborhood/Place Identity in Black Gentrification Areas .................................................. 37 Black Places, Black Spaces......................................................................................................41 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................... 44 vii CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................................ 45 Methods........................................................................................................................................45 Study Neighborhoods .............................................................................................................