Abolition Geography | Ruth Wilson Gilmore & Dalia Gebrial
May 18, 2023
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Prison abolitionist Ruth Wilson Gilmore and critical geographer Dalia Gebrial discuss topics such as racial capitalism, critical geography, and the role of prisons in addressing societal issues. They explore the connection between racism and capitalism, the use of race as a governing tool, and the challenges faced in narrating innocence. The podcast also covers the impact of platforms on racialized migrant workers, resistance to defunding prisons and policing, and the role of policing in the London taxi economy.
Abolition challenges the notion of innocence and aims for freedom, exposing the contradictions of capitalism and racism.
Critical geography helps understand how systems like prisons and platforms perpetuate racial capitalism and inequality.
Organized abandonment exposes marginalized communities to premature death and vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for solidarity and connection.
Deep dives
Racial capitalism and the limitations of innocence
The podcast explores the concept of racial capitalism and the idea that people are never innocent enough to have basic needs met, such as housing, healthcare, and clean air. The notion of innocence is seen as a barrier to entry for a good quality of life. Abolition is presented as a movement that challenges the notion of innocence and aims for freedom. The conversation delves into the contradictions of capitalism and racism, highlighting how they are intertwined and how they perpetuate inequality. The discussion also touches on the devolution of risk and the role of platforms in racial capitalism, as well as the need for organizing and solidarity to confront these systems.
Critical geography and the systems of racial capitalism
Critical geography is discussed as a tool for understanding the contradictions and inequalities perpetuated by systems like prisons, policing, and platforms. These systems are exposed as mechanisms of racial capitalism that manage surplus populations, ensure profit, and enforce violence and abandonment. The conversation explores how racialization works as a process rather than a fixed identity, and how racial capitalism exploits and differentiates labor populations. The conversation also highlights the ways in which platform labor intensifies risk and exposes workers to exploitative conditions while promising convenience and safety. The concept of class composition is emphasized as a crucial aspect of understanding and organizing against racial capitalism.
Organized abandonment, harm, and the path to liberation
The podcast examines the concept of organized abandonment and the exposure of marginalized communities to premature death and vulnerability. It is stressed that prisons and policing are not solutions to harm, but rather partial fixes that serve capitalist interests. The conversation highlights the need for solidarity and connection between different groups affected by racial capitalism, such as nurses organizing against exploitation in the healthcare industry. The importance of noticing and confronting ideological barriers is emphasized in order to challenge narratives that perpetuate racialized divisions and fear. The conversation concludes by reiterating the importance of internationalism, the intersection of green and red agendas, and the urgency of organizing towards liberation from racial capitalism.
Abolition as Constructive Space-Making
Abolitionist thinking is not about negating space, but about creating space to imagine and build otherwise. The abolition movement recognizes that certain institutions and infrastructures deny the ability to build the lives we want. Abolition is about understanding what is currently stopping us and creating the conditions for freedom for all. It is a constructive project that challenges the notion of innocence and aims to build a society where everyone can thrive.
Freedom as a Place of Life and Rehearsal
Freedom is not an address but a process of place-making. People are already making the world in ways that create possibilities for life to flourish. From land occupations to self-governing communities, the freedom to build and reimagine our environments is essential. Abolition is not just about remaking the world, but recognizing and joining the ongoing efforts of individuals and communities to shape their own futures and create spaces where freedom is realized.
In this third episode of the newly relaunched Verso Podcast, Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Dalia Gebrial join Eleanor Penny to discuss prison abolitionism, racial capitalism, and critical geography.
You can find Ruthie's book "Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation" on our website at bit.ly/3OrC5cu
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