The Urban Context

Addresses issues of current social and theoretical concern such as urban ethnic conflict, multiculturalism and immigration. How do people make sense of their lives amid the social and cultural diversity of cities? The essays in this volume argue that a powerful and related set of methodologies - including comparative research, the ethnography of situations such as dances and parades, and social network analysis - can further our understanding of the intertwined processes of ethnicity and community, class and gender. Written by leading researchers from a number of disciplines, these essays demonstrate a sensitivity to places and contexts ranging from Los Angeles to Queensland. Students of anthropology, geography and urban studies will find this book an invaluable guide to the intricacies of urban social life in the late 20th century.

Alisdair Rogers is at the Keble College and St. Catherine’s College,University of Oxford.

Stephen Vertovec is a Principal Research Fellow, Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, at the University of Warwick.

A. Rogers and S. Vertovec, Introduction - C. Pickvance, Comparative Analysis, Causality and Case Studies in Urban Studies - B. Kapferer, The Performance of Categories: Plays of Identity in Africa and Australia - K. M. Hazlehurst, Ethnicity, Ideology and Social Drama: The Waitangi Day Incident 1981 - A. Rogers, Cinco de Mayo and 15 January: Contrasting Situations in a Mixed Ethnic Neighbourhood - S. J. Smith, Where to Draw the Line: A Geography of Popular Festivity - P. Jackson, Manufacturing Meaning: Culture, Capital and Urban Change - M. Grieco, Transported Lives: Urban Social Networks and Labour Circulation - P. Werbner, From Commodities to Gifts: Pakistani Migrant Workers in Manchester - M. Anwar, Social Networks of Pakistanis in the UK: A Re-evaluation - G. Bridge, Gentrification, Class and Community: a Social Network Approach - D. Boswell, What's in a Name? The Social Prestige of Residential Areas in Malta as Perceived by Their Inhabitants