Villagers' Resistance to Gentrification-Led Displacement in the Guanxi Society: Lessons From Rural Guangzhou, China

Abstract

The antigentrification campaign has gained global attention because it is crucial for realising social justice, particularly against displacement. Numerous literature has focused on government management, however, there is a dearth of research on the resistance undertaken by the potential displacees. Therefore, this paper explores villagers' survivability when facing displacement threats within China's guanxi society. The guanxi provides a fresh lens on Chinese social development, distiling intergroup relationships into four states that reveal power dynamics within gentrification and enable a nuanced analysis of displacement and resistance. The case of Xiaozhou Village is examined, tracing villagers' living dynamics over the past three decades. The study reveals that villagers have effectively resisted sociocultural displacement pressure and exclusionary displacement by maintaining or preserving their fields. Guanxi provides a perspective for examining how villagers legally possess capital, engage in habitus-driven competition against gentrifiers, and ultimately support their community cohesion. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the uneven micro-geopolitics of gentrification and offers insights into the effective mitigation of displacement.