Race, Authenticity, and the Gentrified Aesthetics of Belonging in Washington, D.C.

Abstract

This chapter tracks the contemporary convergence of hipster aesthetics with a Black cultural space that results in the aesthetic re-coding of a popular gentrified Washington, D.C. commercial corridor as a diverse neighbourhood. I examine representations of blackness and diversity and analyze how they are deployed in the pursuit of authenticity in the gentrified city. Authenticity has become an instrument through which people attach meaning to things and experiences rather than people. I argue that the tension between the polar class/race lifestyles spur attraction from young, upper-income white residents and tourists to the area. Ultimately, blackness in the marketplace must be that which sells, and that which can be easily transacted by proprietors of capital.