THE FALSENESS OF THE HAPPY HOMEOWNER NARRATIVE

Brian J. McCabe, No Place Like Home: Wealth, Community and the Politics of Homeownership  (New York: Oxford U. Press, 2016) ("This book's story leads to a counterintuitive conclusion about the place of homeownership in American life. Although we often laud homeownership as a tool for strengthening citizenship and integrating people into their communities, I have shown that the impact of homeownership on community life is not as clear-cut--and often, not as positive--as proponents claim. Rather than transforming citizens into better neighbors and engaged citizens, owning a home often leads them to participate in the politics of exclusion. Concerned about the value of their homes, they elevate concerns about property values above other issues in their communities. As a result, when they do engage in civic activity, or participate in local politics, they often do so as a way of protecting their financial interests. This type of civic involvement can lead to fractured, segregated neighborhoods, with homeowners working to exclude particular practices and people from their communities." "This complicated story of citizen-homeowners cuts against a widely held narrative in the United States that portrays homeowners as more responsible, engaged citizens and neighbors. Legal scholar Mechelle Dickerson refers to this as the Happy Homeowner Narrative--the uncritical belief that homeownership transforms citizens into happier, wealthier, more stable and involved citizens. [] But in this book, I have worked to set the record straight." Id. at 139.).