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Turf Wars: Discourse, Diversity, and the Politics of Place

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ISBN: 978-0-470-77397-0

February 2008

Wiley-Blackwell

376 pages

Description
Turf Wars: Discourse, Diversity, and the Politics of Place is the fascinating story of an urban neighborhood undergoing rapid gentrification.
  • Explores how members of a multi-ethnic, multi-class Washington, DC, community deploy language to legitimize themselves as community members while discrediting others.
  • Discusses such issues as public toilets and public urination, the "morality" of co-ops and condos, and characterizations of "good" girls and "bad" boys.
  • Draws on linguistic anthropology and discourse analysis to provide insight into the ways that local activity shapes larger urban social processes.
  • Draws also on cultural geography and urban anthropology.
About the Author
Gabriella Gahlia Modan (PhD Georgetown University) is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, The Ohio State University.
Features

  • Explores how members of a multi-ethnic, multi-class Washington, DC, community deploy language to legitimize themselves as community members while discrediting others.
  • Discusses such issues as public toilets and public urination, the “morality” of co-ops and condos, and characterizations of “good” girls and “bad” boys.
  • Draws on linguistic anthropology and discourse analysis to provide insight into the ways that local activity shapes larger urban social processes.
  • Draws also on cultural geography and urban anthropology.