In studying urbanism, I’ve come across the idea of the city as a living, breathing organism connected with interdependent parts in a few classes. My fellowship experience taught me that this is not only true of cities, but also in researching them. This summer, I learned that the best way to tackle the topic of…
Week 9: Mapping Venues and Cultural Center
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1O3TOlDIqnvJrWgDHOo0m0Vqb_Bk&w=640&h=480] For my research, I wanted to find out what areas of New York City had the highest Bangladeshi populations, where Bengali musicians perform, and where the Bangladeshi music and dance schools are. I first compiled a list of all of the venues that the Bangladeshi musicians mentioned to me in interviews. I noticed…
Week 8: Arts-Driven Gentrification
When a neighborhood experiences urban blight, artists are often drawn there to repurpose abandoned and interim spaces as studios and residences. Affordability, accessibility, and spaciousness attract this demographic. But this trend can catalyze the cycle of gentrification. Today, the South Bronx has become a new hub for New York City’s artists, making it the latest…
Week 7: Interview pt. 2
Ifti Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi musicians who currently resides in Queens and plays the Bengali flute. I sat down with Mr. Chowdhury to learn more about cultural programming and Bangladeshi music. Here is a transcript of our interview. SN: Where in New York City do you live? IC: I live in Queens, Jamaica Queens. SN:…
Week 6: Interviews
This week, I conducted two interviews. One was with Shammim Siddiki–a singer, community organizer, and Cultural Secretary of the Church-McDonald Bangladeshi Business Association. He spoke to me the role that music plays in uniting the neighborhood, educating the community, preserving Bangladeshi culture, and providing free public entertainment. Siddiki also discussed different genres of Bangladeshi music, song,…
Week 5: The State of Bronx Redevelopment: WHEDco, Bronx Commons, and the Waterfront
WHEDco is a community organiation that works on developing housing in the Bronx unique for its focus on women’s needs and holistic approach to community development–they aim to build neighborhoods, not just buildings.They have several branches: Community, Childcare, Small Business, and Culture (Bronx Music Heritage Center). NFor this reason, WHEDco is singular among community organizations….
Week 4: The History of the South Bronx: 19th-20th Century
The Bronx Music Heritage Center is situated in Crotona Park East in the South Bronx on Louis Nine Boulevard, off of the historic Southern Boulevard. Learning about the history of the South Bronx has revealed the politics, failures and cycles of urban renewal. By understanding the timeline of events that occurred from the late 1800s to…
Week 3, Field
“Sociologists who study organizations sometimes use the term ‘field’ to describe a set of organizations linked together as competitors and collaborators within a social space devoted to a particular type of action — such as a market for certain products, the pursuit of urban development, or the realm of electoral politics. Agreements struck among the…
Week 2, Considering Books and Sources
As I continue to refine my research, I have been consulting a wide variety of texts. One goal for my fellowship is to understand the comprehensive history of the South Bronx in order to contextualize The Bronx Music Heritage Center’s work and mission. For this purpose, I have been reading Jill Jonnes’, South Bronx Rising:…
Week 1, Observing
This fellowship has made me increasingly conscious of my position as an observer. That being said, observation can have a negative connotation when one is on the outside looking in. However, my experience thus far hasn’t felt like I am doing my research from an aerial view. Instead, this fellowship has encouraged me to be…
