For the Benefit of All? Nationalism in a Contested City

Populist geopolitical discourse might uses not only security justification for minority exclusion but also economic justification. Through using the economic motivation and interest, leaders and policy makers gain legitimacy to promote a nationalist agenda. In the Israeli contested cities, Gentrification is not only an economic process, based on individual desires and decisions, and independent of political goals, but also a process led or assisted by governments with economic development and national goals. Governments encourage particular populations, described as strong or perceived loyal, to move to peripheral areas or poor neighborhoods in order to facilitate economic growth or establish control, presented as a process that would benefit both newcomers and veterans. Moreover, this process is also supported by Jewish diaspora philanthropy, representing the nation state-diaspora connection. Veteran populations, however, might resist gentrification, especially when national and ethnic identities are involved. In this work, we study a state-led gentrification in the old city of Acre, a contested city in the north of Israel. Interviews conducted with policy makers, Jewish newcomers involved in the gentrification process and Arab residents present a complex picture of goals, interests and concerns, as well as contradictions and tensions. In order to explain the connection between the ethno-national and economic motivations behind gentrification, this paper develops the concept of ‘State-Led Ethno-Gentrification’. The concept is used to assess the risks and implications of ideologically-fuelled emigration in conflicted societies and to emphasize the role of the city and government in promoting nationalist agenda.