Experiencing “Displacement” Through Gentrification: The Case of a Novel Set in Berlin

Abstract

English research on gentrification, specifically, qualitative research, including interviews, increasingly discusses the experiences of residents regarding harm from loss of place. It examines the relational manifestations of suffering associated with displacement through an analysis of literary representations. Specifically, this study analyzes a first-person novel by Jan Brandt entitled “A dwelling in the city (Eine Wohnung in der Stadt),” which depicts gentrification in Berlin, by portraying the displacement of the protagonist and other characters. The study finds that displacement of the protagonist was portrayed not as a temporary event, but as a long-term, emotionally painful process. In contrast, considering the pain caused by the displacement experienced by former East Berlin residents and residents with a Turkish background, the protagonist was not only unaware of the sorrow caused by the displacement but also played the role of a perpetrator who understood it as a romanticized experience. Moreover, the novel convincingly conveys the pain of being deprived of one’s home by gentrification in the form of a personal narrative, which depicts the ambivalence contained in an individual’s experience. However, a narrative that classifies the experiences of displacement entails a problem in orientating the imagination about gentrification, which is, indeed, occurring and can lead to social division among the individuals who are displaced.