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Cohesion and differentiation in Australia's elite suburbs
Author(s) -
Wiesel Ilan,
Levin Iris
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geographical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.695
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-5871
pISSN - 1745-5863
DOI - 10.1111/1745-5871.12268
Subject(s) - elite , resentment , geography , cohesion (chemistry) , ethnic group , diversity (politics) , community cohesion , feeling , sociology , economic geography , gender studies , economic growth , socioeconomics , political science , politics , psychology , social psychology , anthropology , chemistry , organic chemistry , law , economics
Toorak (Melbourne) and Mosman (Sydney) are two of the most affluent suburbs in Australia. The high costs of living and housing in these suburbs preserve their high status. Yet, in recent years, the growing presence of wealthy Chinese residents and investors has challenged longstanding Anglo‐Australian residents' perceptions of these suburbs as “European villages”. At the same time as new shared identities are being produced, feelings of resentment and anxiety are also increasingly being expressed through local urban planning conflicts related to density and heritage in residential development. Drawing on theories of “elite integration”, and interviews with 35 residents of the two suburbs the paper exposes a range of spatial, material, and discursive practices through which the Australian elite manages ethnic diversity within its suburban strongholds.