Steel City Makeover: Examining Representations of Resilience in Contemporary Hamilton-Based Literature

Abstract

<p>Situating Hamilton, Ontario within the global context of economic restructuring incited by capitalist, neoliberal ideologies, I argue that Hamilton, a “city on the verge of renaissance” (Hume A6), needs to be guided by a more inclusive, citizen-led approach to “rebuilding” the city. To critically understand the complex power imbalances underlying this dominant culture of “rebuild,” I will examine the multifaceted concept of resilience, seeing it as both a tool of domination used by those in power over the public sphere, as well as a personal and communal process that can encompass positive adaptation and growth in the face of change. A key question to be asked throughout is: “Resilience for what and for whom?” (Cote and Nightingale 475). While each chapter will be foregrounded with pertinent theory, I will look to various forms of literature based in Hamilton in order to seek nuanced and imaginative understandings of the current climate of “resilience” that are specific to this place.</p>