Jane Austen’s depictions of musical performers and listeners in her novels suggest her belief that musical performances should strengthen intimacy between people, both between listeners and performers as well as among listeners. Austen commends music for its power to increase intimacy through honest expressions of taste, which more often arise…
Jane Austen’s depictions of musical performers and listeners in her novels suggest her belief that musical performances should strengthen intimacy between people, both between listeners and performers as well as among listeners. Austen commends music for its power to increase intimacy through honest expressions of taste, which more often arise in private performances, but she warns against its power to decrease intimacy through pretentious displays of taste, which more often arise in public performances. Austen’s belief that music allows for this healthy intimacy indicates that music has great significance in society. Austen suggests that music has a greater importance to everyday life than many may originally suppose, as it is a universal connection between people. Ultimately, Jane Austen’s perspective of music’s great power both to expose pretentiousness and to cultivate intimacy should lead all of her readers to recognize and respect music’s true power and to consider seriously the importance and role of music in their own lives.
This dissertation recognizes the role of often underestimated housing typologies within the dichotomic framework of formal and informal settlements. Focusing on the City of Puebla, Mexico, the research delves into the development of workers' housing spanning from 1920 to 2000. This was a post-revolutionary period in Mexico characterized by debates…
This dissertation recognizes the role of often underestimated housing typologies within the dichotomic framework of formal and informal settlements. Focusing on the City of Puebla, Mexico, the research delves into the development of workers' housing spanning from 1920 to 2000. This was a post-revolutionary period in Mexico characterized by debates on national identity, modernization, and the construction of the built environment still latent in the 21st century. To examine the evolution of workers' housing, this study revisits housing settlements focusing on three distinct demographic segments: laborers in agricultural and industrial sectors, individuals engaged in popular occupations, and a subset of workers emerging from these demographics. This investigation establishes connections between existing settlements from the first half of the century—colonial, industrial, and agricultural—and the modern housing developments during the latter half. By analyzing the interaction between these housing settlements, the research reveals a range of housing types, including vecindades (shared houses), altered casonas (houses), factory-adjacent worker housing, housing in agricultural colonies, and housing within workers' neighborhoods, commonly referred to as viviendas populares. This study aims to foster a more inclusive understanding of Puebla’s growth during the 20th century through a threefold contribution. First, reviewing the historical dynamics facilitating the development of workers’ housing in Puebla and emphasizing the significance of community-driven efforts and housing production processes. Second, detecting marginalized housing typologies beyond the traditional formal/informal settlement dichotomy and demonstrating their cultural assets through qualitative studies. Last, extracting lessons from case studies that recognize the value of underestimated housing settlements, often labeled as popular settlements or popular housing.
