Francesca La Vigna - Open air flea markets and ethnicity

Flea market Mauer Park (Prenzlauer Berg)

In a relatively new and open-minded capital city, as Berlin likes to be defined and to present itself to Germans, tourists and to new migrants, traces of ethnicity are latent and visible in every district (with due differences), corners, streets or simply listening to passers-by conversations. An important aspect that makes Berlin less German and accesible at least for the very (long) beginning, is the fact that a newcomer non-German-speacker can survive communicating in English. Nevertheless when thinking about ethnic minorities in Berlin, the Turkish and Polish ones open the list among several groups of migrants coming from east-Europe, Mediterranean area and eastern Asia. Considering the specific physical distribution, the district of Neükolln is the most hetrogeneus in terms of ethnic differences and social inequalities, according to statistic data provided by the Regional Statistical Office (Statistisches Landesamt Berlin. www.statistik-berlin.de). The first pull reason is related to the historical tradition of migration to that area that seems to be confirmed also nowadays (as well as in other parts of the city, but keeping into account the Gentrification and “fashion” factors, too) mainly due to the still relatively low rental prices (a huge percentage of Berliners is tenant rather than owner). Then follow Kreuzberg and its young, alive and artistic-cultural stimulating atmosphere, the touristic new Mitte, Charlottenburg-Wilelmdorf and Tempelhof-Schöneberg in the former western part of the city.

Apart from these kind of analyses there are some Berlin´s peculiar places where it is possible to have a comprehensive overview of such a complex and heterogeneous ethnic mosaic: the flea and food markets. Within them economic activities, cultures, tourism, artistic expressions and ethnicity are melted together.
Mostly during the weekends, markets are present in every district. The nature of sold items is almost the same everywhere (second hands stuff, antiquities, new hand-crafted creations), what makes the difference is the location (pedestrian areas, squares, parks, streets, etc.) and the visitors´s features. Quite often flea markets are also a kind of “established” gathering place for some ethnic groups, whose members not necessarely live in the same neighbourhood.
Research proposal:

After having selected one or more flea markets (according to time schedule and other participants´interests), possibly not the most famous, the research would be oriented to point out some of the main features of each market as a whole, paying attention to: space (how much surpface do they occupy and its conformation, ex. square, street, dismissed factory, etc.), location within the city and Kiez´s peculiarities, average confluence of people, average age of the visitors, ethnic variety.


Turkish market in Maybachufer (Kreuzberg)


Flea Market in Boxhagener Platz (Friedrichshain)


Tools/Methods:

• Continuative observation (from the opening till the closing time) and small written report about it.
• Short questionnaire (to be prepared in cooperation with some expert in the field among the WS participants) or random direct questions to visitors/sellers, whereas it won´t be possible to guess ethnic belonging from physical appearance or spocken languages.
• Photos (they will be commented using all the collected data).