Downloaded from UvA-DARE, the institutional repository of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) http://dare.uva.nl/document/495791 File ID 495791 Filename Thesis SOURCE (OR PART OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCE): Type Dissertation Title Mothering the post-industrial city: Family and gender in urban re- generation Author M.A. van den Berg Faculty Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Year 2013 Pages 267 FULL BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS: http://dare.uva.nl/record/454008 Copyright It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (http://dare.uva.nl) MOTHERING THE POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY: FAMILY AND GENDER IN URBAN RE-GENERATION MARGUERITE VAN DEN BERG MOTHERING THE POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY: FAMILY AND GENDER IN URBAN RE-GENERATION ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam op gezag van de Rector Magnificus Prof. dr. D.C. van den Boom ten overstaan van een door het college van promoties ingestelde commissie, in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Agnietenkapel op dinsdag 1 oktober 2013, te 14:00 uur door Marguerite Anna van den Berg Geboren te Dordrecht Promotores: Prof.dr. W.G.J. Duyvendak Prof.dr. G.B.M. Engbersen Faculteit der Maatschappij en Gedragswetenschappen © Marguerite van den Berg, 2013 Design: Thomas Sciarone Cover photo: Marc Heeman, www.rotterdamimagebank.nl Print: Drukwerkconsultancy, Utrecht Funded by: the Amsterdam Institute for Social Scientific Research AISSR, University of Amsterdam To Daniel Acknowledgements When I started working on this dissertation, I wanted to write of the phenomenon of parenting guidance, not necessarily a post-industrial Rotterdam. It was only after my fieldwork period that I decided I should write of Rotterdam and the way it imagines its future. But in a way, it was hardly a surprise: I have always felt affection and fascination for this dynamic place. I hope that I have succeeded in writing with empathy for my home city, its inhabitants, mothers, children, teachers and policy makers, while maintaining a critical stance. Rotterdam already suffers quite enough from Rotterdammers highlighting its faults, adding insult to injury. I will defend this dissertation in Amsterdam, but was inspired for it in Rotterdam and it was written between 010 and 020 – both metaphorically and, in fact, on the train. Although Rotterdam’s future is insecure, I would like to be part of it. Rotterdam could become my object and research site only because of the welcoming and kind cooperation of the mothers, fathers, children, teachers, student-interns, managers and policy- makers I worked with and I thank them for it. A special word of thanks should go to the people of Bureau Frontlijn, Stichting Welzijnswerk Feijenoord, Stichting de Meeuw and Twinkeltje. In academia, I owe much to the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research and the Sociology Department of the University of Amsterdam. I was fortunate enough to work there in a wonderfully luxurious position: four years of doing my own research. The AISSR provided an intellectual climate in which I felt very much at home and learned heaps. In particular, I thank the members of the PhD club “cultural and political sociology”, the members of the program group “dynamics of culture and citizenship”, Oskar Verkaaik for his advice in the early and later stages of research and Gerd Baumann for teaching me to think in conceptual triangles. The reader of this dissertation will discover many. Jan Willem Duyvendak was especially important in his role as my supervisor. Besides his academic qualities, there is one quality in particular that I value and admire in him: an unrelenting curiosity. This gave me much confidence. Whenever I told him of my findings and interpretations, he made me feel like they were worth reporting. I started my academic career as a student first and a researcher later at Erasmus University. Thinking about this dissertation started there. Godfried Engbersen’s role as my supervisor is in a way a reflection of this personal history. I thank him for introducing me to sociology years ago and for important advice in the different stages of research and writing. During my time as a PhD student and before that, I was fortunate enough to visit two universities abroad. In 2007 and 2010, I visited the Graduate Center of the City University New York. These were both wonderful experiences in which I learned a lot and I would like to thank John Mollenkopf and Philip Kasinitz for their time and effort to welcome me there. In 2011, I visited the Georg Simmel Zentrum at Humboldt Universität in Berlin. I thank those at the Zentrum and especially Talja Blokland for their kind hospitality. This dissertation also benefited greatly from the feedback from Christine Bauhardt, Lilly Hoffman, Robin Rogers-Dillon, Linda McDowell, Sharon Zukin and anonymous reviewers of several journals. Closer to home, I would like to thank Hanna Becx, Dennis Broeders, Alastair Dunning, Marcel Ham, Chris Luth, Mirko Noordegraaf, Floris Noordhoff, Khadija, Jilali, Anass and Younes Serghini, Marloes van Westrienen and Joke van der Zwaard. A special word of thanks should go to Thomas Sciarone. His wonderfully subtle design work made this dissertation not only aesthetically attractive but also better. Eva van Gemert improved the written text greatly by correcting for my untidiness. I thank Liesbeth Noordegraaf-Eelens for including me in the dynamics of daily life with a fulltime job and four children and for our conversations about mothering, work and many other things. Friso van Houdt is always genuinely interested and I have benefited from his questions and feedback. And I thank Anick Vollebergh for sharing many experiences from both in and outside of the university and for advice on the manuscript. Rogier van Reekum has been my colleague, friend and important peer advisor for years. I owe much to his creativity, support and animated opinions and I hope that our conversation will continue in the years to come. I thank my friend Claartje ter Hoeven for her companionship, loyalty, humour and empathy. It has been years since we talked tentatively of the idea to do research and write dissertations and it has been much fun to experience this journey together. Marije van der Meij has often inspired me by her curiosity and outspokenness and I am happy that she and Claartje act as paranymph for my defence. I thank my mother and father for teaching me many things, amongst which the love for Rotterdam. I also thank them for being such loving grandparents to Daniel. I thank my sisters Adeline and Milena for being their cheerful selves and fun aunts. I am also very fortunate to have become part of the warm Schinkel-family and thank Els, Kees, Anders and Eva for much Sunday- afternoon laughter. Most of all, I am grateful to Willem Schinkel. This dissertation has been the topic of so many conversations and Willem has read so many versions of chapters. Willem’s originality, wisdom and humour have inspired me time and again. But most importantly, to paraphrase Leonard Cohen (always a good idea if you want to keep your cool): I really like to live beside you, baby. I dedicate this dissertation to our son Daniel, who has already brought me so much joy: my very own next generation Rotterdammer. Rotterdam, July 2013 “Their mothers (…) had filled them in with countless acts, like countless dabs of paint applied to a portrait.” Rachel Cusk1 “Nergens ter wereld werd zo hard gewerkt, werden zulke risico’s genomen, durfden de mensen zo praktisch en op winst berekend te handelen en zulke grootse plannen te ontwikkelen.” Thea Beckman2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION DEPARTING FROM THE INDUSTRIAL URBAN PAST 19 PART 1 PART 2 FAMILY AND URBAN RE-GENERATION LEARNING TO MOTHER 43 121 CHAPTER I CHAPTER IV REPERTOIRES: MOTHERING, TRANSLATIONS: PLANNING, ROTTERDAM FOOD, KNOWLEDGE and SEX 45 123 CHAPTER II CHAPTER V RE-GENERATION AND TRANSACTIONS I: URBAN GENDER BENDING Mediating policy 63 159 CHAPTER III CHAPTER VI PRODUCING AND RESEARCHING TRANSACTIONS II: PARENTING GUIDANCE RITUALS OF REFLEXIVITY AND THE 91 POST-INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY 193 CONCLUSION GENERATIONS AS URBAN POLICY INSTRUMENTS 227 NOTES REFERENCES SUMMARY NEDERLANDSE 242 245 261 SAMENVATTING 264 DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION DEPARTING FROM THE INDUSTRIAL URBAN PAST 20 Drinking espressos, playing in the sun 20 Mothers and children in urban policies 23 Urban Europe beyond the industrial past 24 Re-generation and genderfication 26 Mothering the post-industrial city: an elective affinity 28 The use of theory 34 Policy contingency 37 Rotterdam as a strategic case 39 Beyond ethnicity and race 40 A roadmap for the dissertation CHAPTER I REPERTOIRES: MOTHERING, PLANNING, ROTTERDAM 46 Borrowed meanings: interpretative repertoires 47 Mothering work contested 47 Motherhood as ideology: Adrienne Rich 49 A new social order: modern motherhood 50 Socialising democratic subjects 52 Dutch motherhood ideologies and practices 55 Dutch paternalism – a tradition of planning 57 An urban tradition 58 Rotterdam: Repertoires of dystopian thinking, industrialism and masculinity 62 Activating repertoires CHAPTER II RE-GENERATION AND URBAN GENDER BENDING 64 A reassuring story? From the modernist to the post-industrial 67 Departing from an industrial economy 68 Other ship-to-chip-cities: Marseille and Antwerp as entrepreneurs