Pulini, Ilaria. 2024. Change and Continuity in the Elite Neighbourhood of Kensington. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis]

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Abstract or Description

This thesis addresses the paucity of social research on the elite neighbourhoods of Central London through an ethnography of Kensington. As a wealthy area located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Kensington has recently attracted sociological interest due to the unprecedented growth of urban inequalities in this part of London, where super-rich areas contrast strikingly with socially disadvantaged surroundings. In this thesis, I argue that the characterisation of Kensington as an elite area is grounded in a multifaceted social process that has been largely unexplored and which has been going on for many years, beginning long before the financialisaton of the London housing market following the 2008 crisis. I contend that to understand the social make-up of an elite neighbourhood fully, we need to trace change and continuity over the longue durée, combining ethnography and archival research to investigate the interaction between place and people over time. Drawing on a conceptualisation of neighbourhood as a socially constructed space shaped by the practices of its inhabitants, this research explores Kensington over the longue durée to investigate the entanglement between the built environment and the process of social reproduction over time. Inspired by Bourdieu, the study emphasises the significance of the ‘field’ of ‘dwelling’ in generating distinctions among residents. Dwelling habits reflect wealth disparities and encompass differences in culture, lifestyle, sensibilities and household types. Through an analysis of dwelling practices, the study examines how ‘belonging’ in an elite neighbourhood intersects with issues of class, mobility and transnationalism, shedding light on the multifaceted process of neighbourhood formation. Ultimately, through an in-depth exploration of Kensington across time and space, this research contributes sociological insights into elites and their role in contemporary urban inequalities.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.00039151
Keywords:	Elite neighbourhoods / London neighbourhoods / Kensington / Gentrification / Neighbourhood change
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Sociology
Date:	31 August 2024
Item ID:	39151
Date Deposited:	09 Jul 2025 10:42
Last Modified:	09 Jul 2025 10:52
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/39151

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