Antoine Paccoud

@douccap.bsky.social

1601 Followers 1509 Following

Geographer at LISER, Luxembourg. Works on the libidinal economy of land and housing, buy-to-let gentrification, Badiou, Lacan, Deleuze & Guattari. More words here: https://propertiedperversity.wordpress.com/

Housing is central to the social dynamics of cities. However, many recent citywide analyses of social change have largely set aside housing to concentrate on shifts in income and occupational class structure. In this paper, we argue that examining the intersections of class with tenure provides a richer framework for making sense of patterns and processes of urban social change. Using data from the 2011 and 2021 Censuses, we examine (1) how the intersecting occupational class and housing tenure position of households in London has changed over the decade before (2) analysing the shifting locational and tenure positions of middle- and working-class households in the capital. The results show that ‘leasing space’ through the private rented sector is a key dynamic enabling the continued gentrification of Inner London boroughs. The apparent persistence of working-class London meanwhile masks disadvantageous changes in the residential position of working-class households, as declines in working-class homeownership and social housing have been offset by the growth of working-class private renting in the northern and western suburbs. These restructuring trends have major implications for social inequalities of wealth, residential security and access to opportunities.

In this mini-conference, we are seeking to have a critical debate about land struggles over sovereignty, resources and means of survival. We are inviting folks to submit abstracts (no more than 1000 words) which raise land as the main object of analysis of power in a ‘post-globalisation order’. By seeking to re-centre the Land Question in contemporary socio and political economic debate and scholarship, we aim to illuminate how land and the power it confers shape institutions, create and mediate conflicts, and determine possibilities for both domination and resistance in an era marked by ecological crisis and geopolitical realignment.

We are particularly interested in hearing about research which speaks to one of our key themes:

1. Land conflicts and new imperialisms
2. Extractivism and resource conflicts
3. Digital infrastructure and the material internet
4. Institutions and power in the regulation of land
5. Consequences of urban and rural land concentration
6. Land rent and heterodox economics

The paper analyzes family-level wealth inequality and social mobility in Dudelange (Luxembourg) over five generations between 1766 and 1872, a period that saw the end of feudal social relations. While the integration of Luxembourg into the French revolutionary regime produced a reduction in the Gini coefficient for the ownership of land, the social mobility analysis reveals a relative stability of family positions within the land-wealth distribution throughout the period. This shows that family-level transmission mechanisms limit social mobility and strongly advantage those with ancestors owning property wealth, even when there are significant changes in the organization of property relations.