Working Together? Civic Life in a Diverse Neighborhood

• In Event: 095 - Section on Community and Urban Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 14. Community Development and Civic Life

Abstract

Growing ethnic and racial diversity is transforming America’s landscape by contributing to the emergence of multiethnic neighborhoods (Fong and Shibuya 2005; Logan and Zhang 2010). However, little is known about these neighborhoods and their consequences for race relations and participation in collective life. This article contributes to the creation of alternative theories of civic participation in urban settings through eighteen months of fieldwork with organizations in Rogers Park, one of the most racially/ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago. I argue that living in diverse neighborhoods does not necessarily give residents a common a set of concerns. Contrary to Putnam’s (2007) claim that people in diverse communities “hunker down,” Rogers Park has a vibrant civic life with high levels of collective events. While residents face similar neighborhood conditions, their different backgrounds affect how they experience and react to them. Among those who get involved, some work in separate organizations that address the same issue in different ways. For example, social justice organizations address crime and safety issues by fighting the structural causes of poverty, while “mainstream” organizations favor more policing. I conclude with a discussion on the importance of taking into account the organizational infrastructure that channels individual desires for change into collective action in diverse neighborhoods.

Author

• Denia Garcia, Princeton University