CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
| Author | Süveges, Gréta |
|---|---|
| Title | Coded Clarity: Embodiments of Hidden Jewish Narratives through Spatial Community Formation in Budapest |
| Summary | In this thesis I focus on how the last 20 years of urban change in the neighbourhood of Újlipótváros, in the 13th district of Budapest, enabled the creation of a community feeling organized around a secular, intellectual, middle class, and occasionally Jewish belonging. Drawing on archival sources, interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, I unpack the hidden Jewishness embodied in the district. Three ways of connecting to the communal feeling are based on the “village” (falu) metaphor: class composition, ethnic belonging, and tangible heritage. I explore the coded clarity of this ethnicized and eventually romanticized idea of belonging, which signifies the Jewish identities of Újlipótváros. Subsequently, I hone in on local class belonging with an analysis of recent gentrification processes in the neighbourhood. Local residents voice concrete perspectives on the impersonality of urban space. Recognizing the singularities of this specific case, I argue that different channels of belonging can lead to a better understanding of Central European Jewish identity patterns and the history of urban communities in cosmopolitan cities like Budapest. |
| Supervisor | Monterescu, Daniel; Kowalski, Alexandra |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/suveges_greta.pdf |
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