Storytelling as urban resistance in Shanghai

Bibliographic Data

ID18978673
AuthorsLena Scheen (0000-0001-9432-7482, New York University Shanghai, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume19
Issue1
Pages20-38
Publication date2020-01-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1683-478X • E-ISSN: 2168-4227
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1683478x.2019.1656362
OpenAlexW2973349374
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

This study is based on field research in Peace Neighborhood in Shanghai (2016–2018), where I followed a small group of "nail householders" (dingzihu 钉子户) protesting the upcoming demolition of their neighborhood, and recorded their stories. Whereas previous studies on nail householders have focused on the residents' strategies claiming their rights, I aim to add a subjective dimension to better understand the individual experience of forced eviction as an intrusion on people's sense of place and belonging. Taking the oral stories by one of the residents as my main focus, I argue that the act of storytelling itself can become an important form of urban resistance, recapturing a sense of being acting subjects in the face of experiences that make people feel powerless, unseen, and unheard

Aesthetics · Art · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Sociology · Storytelling · Visual arts · Asian Culture and Media Studies · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Communication · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Psychology

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