Cosmopolitanism in situ: conjoining local and universal concerns in a Malmö neighbourhood

Abstract

This article explores an in situ approach to the emergence of cosmopolitanism as domains of common interest and aspiration. Adopting a cosmopolitan lens that does not assume the central role of categories of diversity in structuring social relationships, the article captures the dialectics between the material place, which facilitates interactions and the social space created in the course of engaged practice in a specific urban setting. The cosmopolitan lens made visible the ways in which local and global concerns and dynamics of power are emplaced in Möllevången, in Malmö, Sweden, a neighbourhood defined by a local history of immigration and activism as well as by the globe-spanning processes of urban restructuring. Locally organised cultural and political events and initiatives promote a sense of belonging to the neighbourhood and conjoin particular and universal commitments towards environmental issues, human rights, equality and social justice.

Keywords:

• cosmopolitanism
• urban activism
• social justice
• local belonging
• Malmö
• Möllevången

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank all the contributors and especially the co-editors of this issue, Nina Glick Schiller and Garbi Schmidt, as well as the anonymous referees, for their valuable comments on earlier versions of this article.

Notes

1. This pilot study, supported by Malmö University, was a preparation for the project proposal ‘From “Immigrant Integration” to Public Sociability: A Comparative Study of Spaces of Urban Restructuring in Malmö’ in collaboration with Per-Markku Ristilammi, Berndt Clavier and Asko Kauppinen.

2. See films and photos taken at Möllevångsfestivalen in 2007 (available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdSUimKh098), in 2008 (available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=MSom8J3ZK8Y), in 2009 (available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=So7-sFO-Ux4) and in 2010 (available from: http://www.youtube.com/user/Mollevangsfestivalen) [All sites accessed 10 May 2014].

3. See, e.g., images available from http://www.mollevangskarnevalen.se/?cat=7, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSXpST3kW08 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEOoji2fCNk [All sites accessed 10 May 2014].