Space into place: Public life, material culture, and the building of community in New York City

One of the defining features of the post-modern urban experience is the increasing dislocation from the specificity of place and the weakening of local culture. The perceived decline in individual connection and ultimately commitment to place is thought to contribute to a breakdown in a sense of community. Throughout New York City, people's desire to engage others through expressive behavior continues despite impinging societal and economic constraints. On occasion, it is adverse and hostile circumstances that compel city residents to engage in collective expressivity as both response and resistance. Vernacular forms that engender social life are vibrant in local neighborhoods despite the much heralded demise of public space and the American city. A series of five case studies documenting Puerto Rican casitas, Italian American yard shrines, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel grotto in Staten Island, Christmas house displays, and a complex of processions and parades in northern Brooklyn explores the process by which residents of New York City build community through symbolic imagery, material culture, and public display events. These venues and activities provide neighborhood residents with opportunities to reconfirm their involvement in, commitment to, and identification with their immediate area.