Latinx-Led Gentrification: Selling Ethnicity, Activism, or Selling Out?

• In Event: Latina/o Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Roundtable 2: Labor, Exploitation, and the Political Economy of Latinidad

Abstract

This study examines U.S.-born Latinx business owners and their workplace challenges as "gentefiers" (actors who participate in Latinx-led gentrification) in downtown Santa Ana, CA's "La Cuatro." Using in-depth interviews and ethnographic research, I show how gentefiers who grew up in Santa Ana use their work roles to foster what they describe as community resilience and cultural solidarity. Gentefiers thus see business ownership as a form of occupational activism—rooted in resistance to white-led gentrification or redevelopment led by actors who are unaware of La Cuatro’s history and cultural significance. While white gentrifiers argue that the corridor’s market is “outdated,” gentefiers as local insiders argue that they have unique insights into the community’s changing needs. These gentefiers incorporate cultural symbols, ethnic pride, and political messages into their storefronts, products, and services to preserve La Cuatro’s cultural identity while modernizing its commercial appeal. However, balancing economic and non-economic motivations, they face two interconnected dilemmas. First, they must decide how much their involvement in neighborhood upgrading aligns with—or conflicts with—their racialized identities and anti-displacement values. Second, they must navigate tensions around pricing and clientele: whether to prioritize affordability for the local working-class community, often at a financial loss, or to attract higher-income customers and tourists whose spending sustains profitability. I argue that gentefication blurs the line between resistance and complicity. Ultimately, while gentefiers use ethnicity as both a political commitment and a market strategy, their businesses remain economically fragile and are embedded within broader urban redevelopment processes.

Author

• Janet Muñiz, California State University-Long Beach