Gated Communities and the Construction of Social Class Markers in Postsocialist Societies

The Case of Poland

Bibliographic Data

ID12496791
AuthorsDominika V Polanska (0000-0002-4304-5060, Södertörns University, Huddinge, Sweden, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume13
Issue4
Pages421-435
Publication date2010-10-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSpace and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1206-3312 • E-ISSN: 1552-8308
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1206331210374140
OpenAlexW2130128614
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited23

The aim of this article is to analyze how social class markers are constructed in the discourse on gated communities in a postsocialist urban context. The case of Poland is used as an example of a post-Communist country where the number of gated communities is increasing rapidly in urban areas. The material of study consists of 50 articles published in the largest national newspaper. This article argues that the discourse on gated communities is constituted by and constitutes class divisions and social class markers prevalent in the country since the fall of Communism. The “new” capitalistic system with its inherent social divisions is described as creating demands for “new” forms of housing where gates function as separators, protectors, and class identifiers. Residential differentiation is a reality in Polish society, and private space has become a symbol of exclusivity and spread throughout the country along with the popularity of gated forms of housing

Class (philosophy · Communism · Context (archaeology · Function (biology · Geography · Linguistics · Media studies · Newspaper · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Popularity · Social class · Social space · Sociology · Symbol (formal · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Urban Planning and Governance · Urbanization and City Planning

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