NEITHER TRUST NOR DISTRUST: Social relations in a multi-ethnic neighbourhood in Copenhagen

This article deals with the politicised notions of trust and social cohesion in urban spaces through a focus on practices of everyday relations in a mixed neighbourhood. Quantitative studies maintain that ethnically diverse neighbourhoods lack in trust and solidarity. However, the very meaning and effect of concepts such as 'diversity`, 'contact' and 'trust' are often unclear. This article challenges both the politicised assumptions and methodological basis for statements on trust as a condition for coexistence. Drawing on fieldwork in a multi-ethnic social housing estate in Copenhagen, this article explores residents 'understandings of diversity, contact and trust. The article argues that trust and strong ties may not be the prerequisite for coexistence in neighbourhoods, where the micro-politics of everyday contacts predominate.