Chapter 7. (Re)mapping “authentic” London
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Jennifer Smith
Abstract
Busse and Warnke’s (2015) Urban Linguistic research paradigm is a seminal and precise answer to recent calls for interdisciplinary investigations of urban space/place that include semiotic and linguistic aspects. The methodological, technical and technological consequences of implementing interdisciplinary urban research, however, are manifold and highly complex. This exploratory case study is an attempt to showcase qualitative analyses of how ‘place-making practices’ (cf. Busse and Warnke 2015) manifest in two urban data types. Ideally, such small-scale investigations need to be complemented and contextualised by further quantitative methods and big data sets, such as the heiURBAN corpus by Busse (cf. e.g., Busse 2020). This chapter combines literary analysis of Iain Sinclair’s London Overground (2015) with descriptions of the semiotic landscape of Shoreditch, one of the most prominent gentrifying/gentrified neighbourhoods in London’s East End. It is embedded into my doctoral research of Shoreditch’s semiotic landscape and the analysis hints at how urban places are situated in discourses of urbanity, gentrification, change, authenticity, and commodification. The scope of this article remains small and exploratory but provides insight into some of the aforementioned methodological issues as well as an outlook of what further investigations may focus on.
Abstract
Busse and Warnke’s (2015) Urban Linguistic research paradigm is a seminal and precise answer to recent calls for interdisciplinary investigations of urban space/place that include semiotic and linguistic aspects. The methodological, technical and technological consequences of implementing interdisciplinary urban research, however, are manifold and highly complex. This exploratory case study is an attempt to showcase qualitative analyses of how ‘place-making practices’ (cf. Busse and Warnke 2015) manifest in two urban data types. Ideally, such small-scale investigations need to be complemented and contextualised by further quantitative methods and big data sets, such as the heiURBAN corpus by Busse (cf. e.g., Busse 2020). This chapter combines literary analysis of Iain Sinclair’s London Overground (2015) with descriptions of the semiotic landscape of Shoreditch, one of the most prominent gentrifying/gentrified neighbourhoods in London’s East End. It is embedded into my doctoral research of Shoreditch’s semiotic landscape and the analysis hints at how urban places are situated in discourses of urbanity, gentrification, change, authenticity, and commodification. The scope of this article remains small and exploratory but provides insight into some of the aforementioned methodological issues as well as an outlook of what further investigations may focus on.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
- Chapter 2. Thematic adverbial adjuncts of place and direction and their relationship to conceptual metaphor in A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad 17
- Chapter 3. Death by nature in two poems by Alden Nowlan 45
- Chapter 4. Liminal islands 65
- Chapter 5. Urban metaphors 85
- Chapter 6. The Arabic of Dune 105
- Chapter 7. (Re)mapping “authentic” London 125
- Chapter 8. “Boston Strong” 147
- Chapter 9. Naming as styling 167
- Chapter 10. “She enjoys being stroked”, “They are affectionate, lively and interactive boys” 189
- Chapter 11. “Your planet needs you” 209
- Chapter 12. London past and present 229
- Name Index 253
- Subject Index 255
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
- Chapter 2. Thematic adverbial adjuncts of place and direction and their relationship to conceptual metaphor in A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad 17
- Chapter 3. Death by nature in two poems by Alden Nowlan 45
- Chapter 4. Liminal islands 65
- Chapter 5. Urban metaphors 85
- Chapter 6. The Arabic of Dune 105
- Chapter 7. (Re)mapping “authentic” London 125
- Chapter 8. “Boston Strong” 147
- Chapter 9. Naming as styling 167
- Chapter 10. “She enjoys being stroked”, “They are affectionate, lively and interactive boys” 189
- Chapter 11. “Your planet needs you” 209
- Chapter 12. London past and present 229
- Name Index 253
- Subject Index 255
