The dead centre of town: tribalism, dark tourism and the quest for belonging in post-earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

The 2010/11 sequence of devastating earthquakes completely transformed the physical appearance of central Christchurch, resulting in the demolition of ninety-five percent of the buildings within the four avenues (Meacham 2017). Yet, as an anthropology student who moved to the city in May 2018, I soon discovered that the natural disaster had caused far more damage than the easily quantifiable loss of bricks and mortar. More importantly, it had disrupted residents’ urban taskscapes and exposed the social fault lines of a city with a wellknown reputation for insularity. Taking inspiration from McKee (2016) and her examination of the Jewish/Bedouin divide in the Negev, this journal documents the subtle segregation of Christchurch through the eyes of a new arrival, identifying the opposing social separations of ‘local’ and ‘outsider’ through the ethnographic observation of Cathedral Square. Being the focal point for downtown Christchurch, Cathedral Square provides the perfect vantage point to observe the social relationships within the city. The diamondshaped Square extends roughly one hundred metres along each axis and is centred around the Christ Church Cathedral, the building that gave rise to the city’s Pākehā (European) name. Extensively damaged during the quakes, the church’s spire and rose window were completely destroyed, leaving the nave exposed to the elements through a large gaping hole above the main entrance. This damage, and the subsequent Cathedral restoration project, has resulted in a large portion of the Square being cordoned off by a high security fence, reducing the amount of available public space. Having visited the location dozens of times in the past two years, I have found it rare for more than half a dozen people to be gathered in Cathedral Square at any one time.