Residential tourists and the half-life of European cosmopolitanism in post-crisis Spain

Abstract

This article examines British homeowners in Spain after the 2008 economic crisis and their struggles to navigate Spain’s troubled real estate sector. It argues that foreign residents previously embraced European cosmopolitanism but disputes over illegal home construction soured their opinion of European Union (EU) integration. Using ethnographic research and interviews, the article shows how these homeowners contested the idea that EU cohesion policies produced uniform legal systems related to housing and urban development. It also shows that while cosmopolitanism was often spurred at the level of formal politics, cosmopolitan ‘practices’ were subtly endorsed to delineate between those who h..