A Stroll Through la Boca

Abstract

Celebrated in local folklore as Buenos Aires' Italian barrio , la Boca is in fact a contested neighborhood where a number of middle-class residents of European origin denounce the presence of a large mestizo underclass as a threat to la Boca's Italianness—especially the passion for the arts, the work ethics, and the family values that allegedly characterized the old, southern European immigrant community. Drawing on de Certeau's theorization of the “stories of the street,” this article explores the discourse and practice through which nostalgic middle-class boquenses spatialize their definition of local heritage, thus seeking to foster consensus over who belongs in the neighborhood and who does not.