Anders Westerström, Department of Cultural Sciences, is defending his dissertation "Kampen om Kommersen – kritik, motstånd och drömmar i den nyliberala staden".
The aim of this thesis is to study the ways in which neoliberal hegemony is produced and the processes by which it is maintained, negotiated and challenged. I critically examine the decisions, reports and interventions that surrounded the local flea market Kommersen in Gothenburg during the planning process of a comprehensive urban renewal area called Norra Masthugget. The main research question is: for whom, how and to what ends is neoliberal hegemony upheld? In the first part of the thesis, I review the research literature related to the role of local marketplaces and culture in neoliberal urban planning processes. In the theory chapter I outline my understanding of methodological perspectives on ideology critique as well as Patrick Leary’s notion of Keywords and Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and social space. I create a constellation and use a multimethods approach to better grasp the nonidentity of Kommersen.
The first empirical chapter analyses the report Fallet Kommersen from 2013. This report is an example of how an intervention that aimed to protect marginalized groups in the city becomes part of a larger branding project, and there takes on a different meaning. In the second empirical chapter, I analyse the concept of “Kommersen 2.0” and attempts to integrate progressive values into the brand identity of the area. When Kommersen was demolished, a local artist organized a funeral ceremony for the building and erected several monuments in defence of free culture. In the third chapter, I analyse how these agents initiated a wider discussion about the right to the city in relation to Kommersen.
To conclude, I argue that much of the meaning created around Kommersen is a product of ideology and an attempt to use Kommersen for commercial gain. I also show that hegemony is never total and discuss how different agents have challenged the land exploitation process in Norra Masthugget. Finally, I look at the ways in which consent has been created around Kommersen and how neoliberal ideology affects the way we think, act in and dream in the city.
Doctor Erik Hansson, Uppsala University
Professor Kristina Grange, Chalmers University of Technology
Docent Anders Lund Hansen, Lund University
Docent Dominika Vergara Polanska, Södertörn University
Substitute if member in the committee will be missing:
Docent Johan Järlehed, University of Gothenburg
Docent Helena Holgersson, University of Gothenburg