Towards a dialogue between planetary gentrification and postcolonial urbanisation: State-led ethno-gentrification (SLEG) in Israel

How Should We Understand and Conceptualise Urban Phenomena in Diverse Global Contexts?

Urban studies faces a persistent challenge: should theories and terms coined in the Global North, particularly gentrification, be applied across diverse contexts? Does such an application risk oversimplifying local dynamics and imposing a foreign framework that misrepresents urban phenomena? Or, on the contrary, does the attempt to construct entirely new, context-specific conceptual frameworks undermine the foundations of social science research, including our ability to theorise, generalise, and create comparative global knowledge?

These questions are especially pressing when analysing urban processes in societies marked by ethno-national and religious conflicts, such as Israel. For example, how should we understand and conceptualise the migration and settlement of Zionist-religious middle-class groups, organised as settlement associations, into mixed Israeli cities? Backed by government support, these movements displace marginalised groups, particularly Arab residents.

This research bridges the gap between theories of planetary urbanisation, which emphasise global capitalist trends, and postcolonial perspectives, which focus on local and context-specific dynamics. It proposes a dialogical approach, advocating for a balanced analysis that integrates both local contexts and the capitalist logic of urban development.

Introducing State-Led Ethno-Gentrification (SLEG)

This research proposes a new framework of state-led ethno-gentrification (SLEG), arguing that gentrification terminology is vital for characterising urban phenomena in conflictual geographies. SLEG integrates the distinctive ethno-national, religious, cultural, economic, and state-led dynamics shaping these contexts.

Key Elements of SLEG

1. The State as Catalyst and Supporter
The state plays a central role in initiating and supporting ethno-gentrification projects. It merges nationalistic discourse with economic development, providing incentives for settlement.

2. A Multifaceted Project
The settlement project has a mix of nationalist, economic, and cultural goals and implications, serving both as a socio-economic and nationalist project.

3. Economic, Nationalist, and Cultural Incentives
Affordable housing, rent-gap exploitation, a communal lifestyle, and diversity are pivotal incentives for urban settlement projects, alongside the nationalist-religious one.

4. Economic Advantages of Ethno-Gentrifiers
Affordable housing, rent-gap exploitation, a communal lifestyle, and diversity are pivotal incentives for urban settlement projects, alongside the nationalist-religious one.

5. Grounded in Fieldwork
SLEG framework and discourse is supported by extensive fieldwork, which captures the perspectives of residents and ethno-gentrifiers regarding class, economics, and nationalism.

Major Contributions to Urban Studies

As an epistemological contribution, SLEG emphasises the importance of examining economic logic and incentives, including the discourse of gentrification, in understanding nationalist projects and the displacement of minorities beyond Euro-American contexts. The gentrification framework enriches explanations of the arrangements, incentives, and economic infrastructure that support and intensify nationalist projects, which at times could not exist without them. Secondly, it underscores the significance of recognising nationalist and religious dimensions in studying urban redevelopment and gentrification in conflictual geographies and ethnically mixed cities. The theory of state-led ethno-gentrification critically addresses the intersection of class and ethno-nationalism in urban processes, linking local dynamics to broader national politics as tools for spatial control and state sovereignty. These perspectives are essential not only for a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the urban phenomenon but also for identifying ways to address its multi-dimensional consequences.

A Call for Global Engagement

I invite scholars to adopt the SLEG theory, its epistemological arguments, and apply gentrification terminology to study urbanisation and nationalist projects worldwide, particularly beyond Euro-American contexts. By doing so, we can foster a global, comparative understanding of capitalism’s impact on cities while acknowledging the distinct local dynamics—ethno-national struggles, territorial control, gendered power relations, religious issues, and other unique elements shaping urban processes.

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