Material Information |
| Title: |
Selling Suburbia An Actor-Network Analysis of the Construction of Levittown, NY |
| Physical Description: |
Book |
| Language: |
English |
| Creator: |
Goeke, Matthew |
| Publisher: |
New College of Florida |
| Place of Publication: |
Sarasota, Fla. |
| Creation Date: |
2010 |
| Publication Date: |
2010 |
Subjects |
| Subjects / Keywords: |
Suburbia
Actor-Network Theory
Home Ownership |
| Genre: |
bibliography ( marcgt )
theses ( marcgt )
government publication (state, provincial, terriorial, dependent) ( marcgt )
born-digital ( sobekcm )
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Notes |
| Abstract: |
In 1947, Levitt & Sons began building the building small, affordable homes for veterans on suburban Long Island by the thousands. Within a few years, Levittown became both the most famous postwar suburb and the target of relentless criticism. This thesis uses the construction of Levittown as a method to examine the vast array of factors that enabled detached suburban home ownership to dominate the American landscape in the second half of the 20th century. By studying this suburb, I evaluate the merits of some competing views on the �causes� of suburban development. Using Michel Callon and Bruno Latour's actor-network theory, I treat these houses as a new technology and focus on the agencies that produced two separate, but closely related actor-networks. First, Levitt & Sons itself, an organization that was able to mass produce an large, historically cheap affordable housing development. Second, the Levittown Cape Cod, the contract it came with, and the community it was embedded within. I conclude by offering a reinterpretation of the various conceptions of suburbia, arguing that actor-network theory provides unique advantages in evaluating how these homes were produced and how they affected their tenants. |
| Statement of Responsibility: |
by Matthew Goeke |
| Thesis: |
Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 2010 |
| Electronic Access: |
RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references. |
| Source of Description: |
This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. |
| Local: |
Faculty Sponsor: Brain, David |
Record Information |
| Source Institution: |
New College of Florida |
| Holding Location: |
New College of Florida |
| Rights Management: |
Applicable rights reserved. |
| Classification: |
local - S.T. 2010 G5 |
| System ID: |
NCFE004255:00001 |
|
Material Information |
| Title: |
Selling Suburbia An Actor-Network Analysis of the Construction of Levittown, NY |
| Physical Description: |
Book |
| Language: |
English |
| Creator: |
Goeke, Matthew |
| Publisher: |
New College of Florida |
| Place of Publication: |
Sarasota, Fla. |
| Creation Date: |
2010 |
| Publication Date: |
2010 |
Subjects |
| Subjects / Keywords: |
Suburbia
Actor-Network Theory
Home Ownership |
| Genre: |
bibliography ( marcgt )
theses ( marcgt )
government publication (state, provincial, terriorial, dependent) ( marcgt )
born-digital ( sobekcm )
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Notes |
| Abstract: |
In 1947, Levitt & Sons began building the building small, affordable homes for veterans on suburban Long Island by the thousands. Within a few years, Levittown became both the most famous postwar suburb and the target of relentless criticism. This thesis uses the construction of Levittown as a method to examine the vast array of factors that enabled detached suburban home ownership to dominate the American landscape in the second half of the 20th century. By studying this suburb, I evaluate the merits of some competing views on the �causes� of suburban development. Using Michel Callon and Bruno Latour's actor-network theory, I treat these houses as a new technology and focus on the agencies that produced two separate, but closely related actor-networks. First, Levitt & Sons itself, an organization that was able to mass produce an large, historically cheap affordable housing development. Second, the Levittown Cape Cod, the contract it came with, and the community it was embedded within. I conclude by offering a reinterpretation of the various conceptions of suburbia, arguing that actor-network theory provides unique advantages in evaluating how these homes were produced and how they affected their tenants. |
| Statement of Responsibility: |
by Matthew Goeke |
| Thesis: |
Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 2010 |
| Electronic Access: |
RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references. |
| Source of Description: |
This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. |
| Local: |
Faculty Sponsor: Brain, David |
Record Information |
| Source Institution: |
New College of Florida |
| Holding Location: |
New College of Florida |
| Rights Management: |
Applicable rights reserved. |
| Classification: |
local - S.T. 2010 G5 |
| System ID: |
NCFE004255:00001 |
|