Only Onward: Lawrence Wright’s Austin and the Politics of Nostalgia
In February of last year the New Yorker published an article by Lawrence Wright entitled “The Astonishing Transformation of Austin.” Wright is the author of several books about al-Qaeda, one about COVID-19, an excellent … Continue reading
Austin/Oslo: The Price of Sprawl
Austin and Oslo are two cities on very different paths in the 21st century. One has embraced urban density and well-designed mass transit. The other is a sprawling car culture … Continue reading
Home(less)
Of course the discomfort did not emerge all of a sudden: it built up inside me, like always, without a clear definition. Their presence puzzled me, it clouded me—that’s the … Continue reading
Editorial Comment
I am incredibly excited to be the guest editor for this edition of the End of Austin and I would like to thank all those who contributed. My proposal to … Continue reading
Reclaiming Dunbar: Black History, Anti-Gentrification, and Community-Engaged Research in San Marcos, Texas
As the gentrification of East Austin and the displacement of its longtime African-American and Latinx communities become increasingly more evident, widely known, and contentious, a similar story is unfolding just … Continue reading
Selection from Darwin Hamilton’s 25 Years Later
VS. EMINENT DOMAIN I have always been fond of great orators, civil rights activist and leaders’ powerful speeches and eloquent interviews from the past like U.S. Congressman Adam Clayton Powel … Continue reading
The Slacker Colonialist and the Gentrification of Austin
Thirty Years of Gentrification in Austin The story of gentrification in Austin is as remarkable as it is tragic. Every day stories emerge about the torrential loss of significant cultural … Continue reading
Barton’s Slaves
In June 2018, Austin’s Chief Equity Officer released a report calling for the renaming of certain place names, or toponyms, in Austin, especially those that commemorate the Confederacy. The report … Continue reading
The Open City
Nota bene: The following paragraphs describe “open cities,” as compared to “closed cities.” I developed this distinction based on a comparative analysis of a number of cities. Austin is an “open … Continue reading
A Wrench in the Wheel
Prescript: This entry is based on a paper written in 2011 by Drs. Lauren Martin and Eliot Tretter, both geographers interested in alternative productions of space. We authored the essay before … Continue reading
Who was Robert Mueller? Reflections on History, Segregation, and Place Names
A few weeks ago someone sent a query to my neighborhood’s listserv asking whether the Mueller neighborhood should be pronounced “Mew-ler” or “Miller.” Several people wrote back, explaining that the … Continue reading
Eliot Tretter Interviews Darwin Hamilton, author of 25 Years Later, a short autobiography about his life in Austin
Eliot Tretter: Most of the books about Austin are written by people that are considered white. Still there is a large number of books, especially recently, which have covered of … Continue reading
The Gold Dollar Building and Black Erasure
Stand at the southeast corner of 24th Street and San Gabriel in the West Campus neighborhood of Austin, Texas, and look across the street. The four buildings in front of … Continue reading
Going Hungry on Campus
“I stole groceries today bc I don’t’ have a lot of money and I got caught and now I have a class b misdemeanor and court in three weeks. I … Continue reading
Sheltering in a Weird Place: Notes from Quarantined Austin
What are you seeing, thinking, feeling during this time of quarantine? To understand how we are muddling through an unprecedented moment in our city’s history, I sought out short bits … Continue reading
Pandemic Photos
dear Austin friends: would you like to share a photo about living in Austin during pandemic lockdown? What are you seeing during this time of quarantine? Send your images to … Continue reading
Richie Deegan: an artist’s perspective of Austin
I came to learn about Richie Deegan through my search for artists who have experienced and depicted Austin over the past decade or more. His evocative work highlights the many … Continue reading
Goodbye to the Beauty Parlor
The Beauty Parlor is a salon that used to operate on the corner of East 12th and Cedar streets, and after six years, on August 22nd, it closed its doors … Continue reading
Breakfast Taco Wars: Race, History, and Food in Austin and San Antonio
When New York-based writer Matthew Sedacca made the claim that Austinites invented the phrase “breakfast taco”, he probably did not expect the level of outrage that he received from … Continue reading
The End of Austin 