Art Quote by Sarah Schulman
“In the past, heartland whites with some kind of dream or desire left their towns for cities to become citified. They wanted to get away from religion, from their families, they wanted to come out, make art, have sex, have experiences. But this new crew was something we had never seen before. They were the first generation of suburban Americans. They came, not to be citified, but rather to change cities into places they could recognize and dominate.”
About This Quote
Early suburban migrants reshaped urban culture, seeking autonomy and influence rather than assimilation.
In simple terms: Suburbanites changed cities to fit their identity.
Key Takeaway
Understand how migration reshapes cultural landscapes.
Themes
urbanization
identity
power dynamics
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
sociological
historical
When to use this quote
- city planning
- community activism
- housing policy
- media representation
Key Concepts
cultural diffusion
social engineering
Questions to Reflect On
- How do migrants reshape the places they enter?
- What tensions arise from cultural transformation?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify diverse motivations of migrants.
![“The suburbanization and the ghettos that were created as a result of the limits of where [African-Americans] could live in the North [still exist today.] And ... the South was forced to change, in part because they were losing such a large part of their workforce through the Great Migration.” quote by Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/791/isabel-wilkerson-10765_african-american_the-suburbanization-and-the-ghettos-that_1992366.jpg)
