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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 1200

Part of General Paper Session (Other abstracts in this session)

Contested public spaces in Saint-Petersburg: linguistic practices and social meaning

Authors: Dussault, Annie Pénélope
Submitted by: Dussault, Annie Pénélope (Université de Montréal, Canada)

Linguistic practices contribute to convey meaning and construct urban spaces. By their use of language, citizens express the connection they have built through time or new meanings they wish to give to places. Thus the language used to refer to places by the different social actors may serve as an indication of their relationship to these places. However, it is often when the existence of spaces is threatened that individuals become aware of the meaning these places hold for them (Harvey 1996). Another way to grasp the meaning ascribed to places is by examining urban marks (linguistic or material). The production of urban marks is one of the strategies employed by citizens to appropriate public space (Veschambre 2004). The labeling of spaces also gives information about which social meaning is attributed to places.
In Russia, the end of the Soviet regime has had a huge impact on the fate of public space. This presentation focuses on the city of Saint-Petersburg which, in the last decade, has witnessed major changes of its urban landscape. The new market economy has led to massive privatization of and a commercialization of urban space, causing a huge increase in the number of demolitions and reconstructions as well as the disappearance of many of the city’s green spaces. As a result of these transformations many conflicts have developed over the meaning and use that different social actors wish to convey to public spaces in the city. Many voices have risen to protest against the erosion of public and green space. Citizens have been mobilizing to protect the city’s heritage architecture and green spaces, creating grassroots organizations, committees, and public happenings. In this context, language has become a powerful tool for groups and citizens to express their desire to claim symbolic property of public spaces.
Based on ethnographic fieldwork done in Saint-Petersburg in 2006 and 2008, this presentation explores the language practices of some of the defenders of Saint-Petersburg’s green public spaces. What does their language use and vocabulary reveal about their relationship to the spaces they wish to protect? How does it differ from that of other social actors (politicians, bureaucrats and promoters)? How does the language used reflect the conflicts over the meaning of Saint-Petersburg public spaces? What are the different linguistic strategies employed to signify the desire to occupy symbolically or appropriate contested spaces?


References:

Harvey, D. (1996) Justice, Nature & the Geography of Difference. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Veschambre, V. (2004) « Appropriation et marquage symbolique de l’espace: quelques éléments de réflexion ». Espaces et SOciétés 21: 73-77.