Performing “East Van”

Abstract

This article draws upon theories of performance and (sub)cultural capital to explore the intersections of class identity and urban spatial practices. Based on interviews and participant observation, this contemporary ethnography explores how some young adults experience the stigmatized neighborhoods of East Vancouver, Canada, imbuing their spatial identifications with subcultural significance and class meaning. Interviewees’ spatial and embodied relationships with East Vancouver reveal a complex articulation of class positioning involving “East Van” pride, class denial, spatial performances and anxieties over class location.