The Structures of Trauma and Inequality: A Case Study of Durham North Carolina’s Housing Market

Abstract

In this interdisciplinary paper, I explore the structures of trauma and inequality as well as the mechanisms that provide the framework for power accumulation and preservation. I apply this understanding of how this framework functions to the local housing market in Durham, North Carolina. Through a critical examination of historic patterns of housing inequalities, an analysis of contemporary policy and primary documents, interviews with key stakeholders, and the use of demographic data, I pose the question of whether or not the parallels between structures of trauma and structures of inequality are currently reproduced in Durham’s housing market.