ABSTRACT
This chapter charts the assemblage of the collective identity of a tenants’ movement, and shows how tenants construct a unifying package of common interests, shared values and contentious beliefs from the practices of participation. It begins with an exploration of participation as voice, a market force similar in effect to exit or competition. The metaphor of voice encapsulates the dominant definition of tenant participation. Marilyn, the secretary of a tenants’ federation (ID 11), says:
I don’t think that being part of a resident involvement or a residents’ group is giving you power, it’s giving you a voice. I think that’s the difference.
