Master
OA Policy
English

Urban Rituals as Tools for Socio-Territorial Belonging:The case of Grand Genève

ContributorsOlson, Brittany N
Number of pages53
Master program titleMIHDS Master in Innovation, Human Development and Sustainability
Defense date2023-01-23
Abstract

The territory of Grand Genève, shared between two French départements and two Swiss cantons, struggles to develop a unified identity shared by inhabitants. It is also a region with high levels of diversity where newcomers struggle to find belonging. Sociologists Sandro Cattacin and Fiorenza Gamba describe urban rituals as important tools for creating meaning, inclusion, and a sense of belonging to a territory. In this work, I seek to understand the needs of this territory and its populations. Through my internship at the Bureau de l’intégration des étrangers (BIE) of the Canton of Geneva, I conducted focus groups and interviews amongst migrant populations in the Canton. Based on my findings, I here propose a ritual which corresponds to the observed needs. My proposed ritual is followed by an action plan which details the practical steps needed in order to implement the ritual. I conclude that only through a multi-pronged approach incorporating social initiatives like rituals, political initiatives combatting territorial inequality, and information-based initiatives promoting shared understanding can we hope to create a unified territory: a Grand Genève with which its inhabitants identify and where all people feel they belong.

Keywords
  • Urbanisme
  • Sociologie urbaine
  • Ville ouverte
  • Integration
Citation (ISO format)
OLSON, Brittany N. Urban Rituals as Tools for Socio-Territorial Belonging:The case of Grand Genève. Master, 2023.
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Master thesis
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Identifiers
  • PID : unige:168157
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Creation13/02/2023 15:48:02
First validation14/04/2023 08:21:44
Update24/10/2024 12:03:32
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