“I found the truth in Foot Locker”: London 2011, Urban Culture, and the Post‐Political City

Abstract

The article begins with an overview of what is implied in the notion of the “post‐political” before looking closely at post‐political interpretations of the 2011 London riots. It presents a critique of the restricted sense of political subjectivity in such accounts. It demonstrates how participation in the riots and their aftermath may be seen as indicative of an embryonic form of urban politics that works with and against the post‐political city. This discussion is illuminated by an analysis of the discursive space of London hip‐hop which reveals an ironic, complex and reflexive dialogue about identity, justice and politics that is far removed from the caricature offered by “strong” interpretations of the post‐political subject. This is then linked to readings of the post‐political city that place a welcome stress not only on the evacuation of the political dimension from the city, but also on the opportunities for the re‐emergence of the proto‐political.

Reclaiming the everyday: the situational dynamics of the 2011 London Riots

“…This focus has been criticised from a variety of perspectives (Swyngedouw, 2014;Davidson and Iveson, 2015). And recently Millington (2016) suggested that the 2011 London Riots yet again revealed the limits of de-politicisation. He argues that the 'wish-fulfilment, or "truth", that might be found in a sportswear shop such as Foot Locker [...] is still hope' and so constitutes a desire for change and a form of protopolitical 'anticipatory consciousness ' (p. 8).…”

“…And, while I support Millington's critique of the criminal opportunism perspective, I am reluctant to put too much emphasis on the riots as anticipating an urban politics. Although there are some continuing echoes of 2011 (Peacock, 2014;Millington, 2016), more research is needed to see how widespread they are. And, meanwhile, the main effect of the riots has been, just as Gilroy (2013) predicted, a neoliberal, property-led regeneration scheme for Tottenham (Dillon and Fanning, 2015).…”

Contesting deep sea oil: Politicisation–depoliticisation–repoliticisation

“…And I think the people who were there on the day had a real sense of that and it was quite a strong feeling of common cause and unity around this issue. (Interview with Vicki)It may be tempting to dismiss appeals to national values (‘no drill no spill’), or attempts to mainstream a message as selling out, or alternatively, to adopt an analysis that frames these strategies as not properly political (Millington, 2016). However, doing so would offer an incomplete analysis of idiosyncratic struggles for climate justice and attempts to shift away from oil and gas dependence.…”

‘Central London under siege’: Diaspora, ‘race’ and the right to the (global) city

“…There are also oppositional movements comprised out of those whom Mayer (2012) refers to as the ‘outcast groups’ of the city. The 2011 London riots are an example of this (see Millington, 2016a), but there are also organized protests, such as those led by young, diasporic Congolese, who campaign vigorously in postcolonial western cities like London against historical and contemporary injustices.…”

“…Henri Lefebvre’s notion of the ‘right to the city’ is evoked routinely in discussions about protests and contemporary urban social movements, ranging from Occupy, the 15-M/Indignados anti-austerity movement in Spain, the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul to even the occupation of Tahrir Square in Cairo during the Arab Spring. The revolutionary spirit conjured by Lefebvre has also been identified in the 2005 uprising in the Parisian banlieues and the 2011 London riots (Garbin & Millington, 2012; Millington, 2016a). The imaginary of the right to the city implies a transurban connection between centres of political resistance and also infers a transtemporal dimension, linking the contemporary mood for insurrection with foundational urban political moments such as the Paris Communes and les évènements of May 1968.…”