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K riolu Scenes in L isbon: Where Migration Experiences and Housing Policy Meet
Author(s) -
PARDUE DEREK
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
city and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.308
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1548-744X
pISSN - 0893-0465
DOI - 10.1111/ciso.12045
Subject(s) - citizenship , portuguese , sociology , urban space , space (punctuation) , gender studies , political science , linguistics , politics , regional science , philosophy , law
Since the early 1990s, the L isbon housing authorities have targeted “improvised” neighborhoods (e.g., poorly serviced neighborhoods with limited infrastructure) for removal or renewal into housing projects called “social” neighborhoods. Many of the neighborhoods undergoing transition are inhabited by K riolu‐speaking Portuguese of C ape V erdean descent. I analyze residents' responses to these changes, particularly the responses of young male rappers. My analysis reveals that rap music in these transforming neighborhoods is a means for making “ K riolu scenes”—expressions highlighting C ape V erdeans' experiences of Portuguese colonialism, postcolonialism, marginalization due to language and race, and now urban displacement. They are also expressions of belonging and cultural citizenship, and exercises of emplacement within the changing city. K riolu scenes highlight an important but underappreciated role that language plays in shaping urban space. Methodologically, I draw from archival research, fieldwork in L isbon neighborhoods, and interviews with local rappers of C ape V erdean descent.