Storytelling and Border Mobilities

Riihelä, Atte Juhana ; Beqiri, Venera

4. term

Urban Design, Master

2017

2017-05-13

152 pages

The thesis is based upon a non-representational ethnographic research that investigates the driving forces behind storytelling affecting border mobilities with Mitrovica and a New Bridge as the case study. In constructing our thesis, we drew from the suitable elements of mobilities theory (Urry 2007), and the way of controlling movement through governing (Bærenholdt 2012). We also researched how power and the rationality is possessed (Flyvbjerg 1998), in relation to human and non-human interaction with materiality engaging (Jensen, Lanng, & Wind 2016) in the understanding of place and identity (Massey 1999), and what impact storytelling (Jensen 2007) does have in constructing of place. A study of history alone was not sufficient to fully grasp the issue of border mobilities, and hence, qualitative data was collected and analysed to comprehend how a narrative turns to a discourse when a sufficient number of citizens believes in the stories. The control of movement happens through placemaking, and places are rooted in the historical events. Recent events in Mitrovica has created borders by external powers and the New Bridge functions as a material setting that crosses political, physical and ethnic border. The conclusions illustrates that to a large extent, power over place is the driving force behind storytelling and border mobilities, however storytelling is used as important tool, as wider discourses can be started and further actions can be legitimized with it.

storytelling ; narrative analysis ; place ; mobilities ; power ; materiliaty ; urban planning ; urban design ; border mobility

Download
View record in AAU Student Projects