Resisting Gentrification and Displacement: Voices of Puerto : Voices of Puerto

This study provides insights into the importance of sociocultural factors in contemporary urban development. By injecting gender, culture, and race into our understanding of community choice and resistance to economic pressure, the author enhances our understanding of the contemporary social geography in cities with large ethnic/racial populations.
The focus of this study is on Puerto Rican women who resist gentrification and displacement in a New York City neighborhood. The study highlights the cultural importance "puertorrique-as " attach to their neighborhood and the threat to their cultural identities in the wake of displacement. The author documents the struggle of barrio residents against gentrification in the context of the neighborhood and the local housing court. She captures the women's voices as they challenge husbands, landlords, and government agencies, interact with other class/ethnic groups, and construct strategies for resisting displacement as well as new identities for themselves. This detailed study of the political mobilization of working class Latinas will be of interest to feminists, urban studies scholars, and housing policy makers. Index. Bibliography