Intersectional Spatial Politics Investigating the Establishment of White Public Spaces Using Spatial Capital in Rotterdam

Recently, Dutch scholars have called attention to the “culturalization of citizenship,” a phenomenon in which racialized and Muslim immigrants are required not only to integrate politically or economically, but also publicly demonstrate Dutch cultural values. Using an ethnographic case study of cycling courses in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, I use Ryan Centner’s work on spatial capital to understand how privileged local inhabitants can consume and imbue public spaces with their own spatial practices and perceptions. It becomes apparent that women perceived as Muslim lack spatial capital because of others’ perceptions of their nonbelonging, here against a backdrop of local “Dutch” spaces, what I call “spatial poverty.” This concept calls attention to the racialized narratives of national belonging in the local uses of public places, highlighting the role of everyday white majority community members as state actors.