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- Title
Questioning cultural narratives of economic development: An investigation of Kitchener‐Waterloo.
- Authors
Spigel, Ben; Bathelt, Harald
- Abstract
Key Messages: The cultural narrative of how German immigrants have shaped today's technology economy and entrepreneurial culture in Kitchener‐Waterloo appears questionable.Members of Kitchener‐Waterloo's German community neither have strong professional ties with other members of that community, nor close connections with other regional communities.Kitchener‐Waterloo's German community has been absorbed into the region's self‐image and creates common reference points for joint initiatives. This paper investigates the relationship between culture and economy and scrutinizes cultural narratives of economic development in Kitchener‐Waterloo, southern Ontario. It argues for the need to carefully conceptualize the link between culture and economic development to avoid boosting deterministic stereotypes. In the case of Kitchener‐Waterloo, a notable hub of high‐technology firms and technology development, a link is frequently drawn between the German community and culture and the region's technology economy and entrepreneurial culture. A social capital analysis, however, reveals that the German ethnic community neither has the strong professional internal ties nor the external social ties to other regional communities that could constitute a lead role in economic development. Rather, the legacy of Kitchener‐Waterloo's ethnic German population has been absorbed into the region's self‐image and creates a feeling of belonging and common reference points for joint social and economic initiatives in the region.
- Subjects
WATERLOO (Ont.); KITCHENER (Ont.); ECONOMIC development; SOCIAL belonging; SOCIAL capital; SELF-perception; NARRATIVES
- Publication
Canadian Geographer, 2019, Vol 63, Issue 2, p267
- ISSN
0008-3658
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/cag.12512