Towards a dialogue between planetary gentrification and postcolonial urbanisation: State-led ethno-gentrification (SLEG) in Israel

Abstract

This article seeks to bridge the dichotomy between post-colonial and planetary perspectives on urbanisation through a case study of state-led ethno-gentrification (SLEG) in Israel. It examines a unique phenomenon of urban migration that has intensified in recent decades, involving the movement of religious Jewish-Zionist populations (known as Garinim Torani’im) into disadvantaged cities in Israel. The article explores how this phenomenon can be understood and conceptualised, presenting five key epistemological arguments and principles for defining state-led ethno-gentrification. The study demonstrates how economic and cultural incentives intersect with ethno-national and religious motivations, driving and sustaining urban settlement. I argue that these logics are mutually reinforcing and cannot be separated into purely national–colonial or economic–cultural projects. This article encourages scholars to apply gentrification terminology beyond the Global North to foster a comparative understanding of the intersections between capitalism and nationalism in urban development. It also calls for expanding the study of gentrification within Western narratives to include the institutional and racial/ethno-national forces enabling the commodification of space and displacement.