Turf Wars

This study follows a Washington, D.C. neighborhood as it changes quickly under gentrification. Its residents differ in ethnic background and income, and the book examines how they use everyday talk to present their area in competing ways. Fights over public restrooms and public urination, the moral standing of co-ops and condominiums, and labels such as "good" girls and "bad" boys become arenas where people construct themselves as rightful members of the community, whether as hardened city dwellers or refined advocates for historic buildings. The same talk also casts others as outsiders, such as people who really belong in the suburbs. Using discourse analysis, the author shows how this neighborhood-level speech connects to broader urban social change.