Carolina Sternberg

Tell us a little about yourself!

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, received my Ph.D. in Urban Geography from UIUC, and immediately after, I joined the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) in 2012. I’m very happy to be working in an interdisciplinary department like LALS. LALS has given me the opportunity to bring a transnational and urban perspective to the study of gentrification in Latino communities in the US and Latin American urban settings. Over the past thirteen years, I have really enjoyed working in a great, intellectually stimulating and supportive environment like LALS. I have truly enjoyed participating in both on-and-off-campus service activities geared towards students’ needs, as well as professional activities. One of my favorite things to do in Chicago is running or walking along the lake, eating sushi at Rollapalooza, and watching independent films.

What do you hope students take away from your course, Urban Policy and Race in Chicago?

I had an incredible experience teaching Urban Policy and Race in Chicago for the first time in the honors program. Students remained very engaged throughout the quarter and we had very interesting and deep discussions on the past and current racialized policies. I think the students have a much better understanding of urban renewal, disinvestment, and gentrification in Chicago, and – as gathered from their evaluations – the course has changed their perspective as they go around the city. I’d be interested in teaching this course again, for sure.

We’d love to hear about your new book! Could you tell us a little about it?

My book examines neoliberal urbanism in and between two cities, one in the Global North (Chicago) and one in the Global South (Buenos Aires), with a special focus on gentrification processes in both cities from 2011 to 2021. It narrates how neoliberal urbanism is facilitated through locally situated discourses, rendering urban spaces and identities as sites for ‘transformation’ through commodification in racially, classed, and unequal ways.

Congratulations on advancing to the second phase of the Fulbright selection process. If awarded, what kind of work would you be doing through this opportunity?

I’m interested in exploring the intersections of race and gentrification in Salvador, Brazil, and Chicago, USA – two cities with long histories of racial segregation and dynamic urban transformations that have significantly impacted Afro-Brazilians’ and African Americans’ access to affordable housing. I have already conducted research on this topic in Chicago, in Bronzeville and Garfield Park. In this opportunity, I aim to examine how anti-Black rhetoric and the presence of a white population shape property and rent values in Salvador and later compare my results for Salvador with Chicago.

Last but not least… If a student leaves your class and forgets everything you taught except for one thing, what is it that you hope they remember?

I hope they remember that gentrification is neither inevitable nor unstoppable, and that it’s not racially neutral.