Bremen, Liverpool, Marseille and Rotterdam: Port Cities, Migration and the Transformation of Urban Space in the Long Nineteenth Century

In: Journal of migration history, Volume 2, Issue 2, p. 275-306

Abstract

During the long nineteenth century Bremen, Liverpool, Marseille and Rotterdam developed rapidly and built new harbour districts beyond the confines of the city. These new waterfronts became the zones of the other; an area defined by the social and cultural lives of casual workers, transient migrants and other disadvantaged groups and became a place in need of social and cultural reform. Few scholars have paid attention to the specific interrelations between migration and the transformation of urban space in port cities. This article addresses the issue of how diverse national and transnational migrant movements have shaped the urban identity of these port cities in this period. In a comparative framework, it raises the question what impact a transient population had on the harbour-related districts and how the appearance of these informal zones contributed to the image of the port city as a place of otherness.