Building the Ark: The Life and Legacy of Mike Davis | Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Owen Hatherley
May 30, 2024
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Urban theorist Ruth Wilson Gilmore and writer Owen Hatherley discuss the impactful legacy of Mike Davis, exploring urban politics, abolition movements, global capitalism, and surveillance in cities. They share personal anecdotes about Davis, emphasizing the need to engage with his ideas for inspiring actions and new perspectives on class struggle and societal structures.
Mike Davis expanded the notion of working class to include marginalized groups, challenging conventional Marxist perspectives.
Davis revealed the planned nature of urban landscapes, shedding light on the interplay of power, race, and class in city development.
Acknowledging defeats in social movements, Davis underscores the enduring legacy of individual commitments to social change.
Deep dives
Mike Davis's Legacy and Influence on Class Organizing and Thinking
Mike Davis, a prominent writer and scholar, had a profound impact through his work on class, power, race, empire, and urban studies. His analyses shaped approaches to fundamental questions on power dynamics and global working classes' empowerment. Davis's examination of global crises like famines, slums, pandemics, and surveillance cities aimed not at despair but at equipping us to envision and create a better future.
Expanding Notions of Working Class and Future-Making
Davis expanded the concept of the working class to include marginalized groups like slum dwellers and those excluded from the formal economy. His work posed a challenge to conventional Marxist views by emphasizing forms of resistance and organization outside traditional labor settings. By exploring future-making beyond standard labor movements, Davis prompted critical engagement with diverse class compositions and transformative possibilities.
Unveiling Planned Chaos: Urban Studies and Political Influence
In his insights on urban landscapes like Los Angeles, Davis revealed the planned nature behind seeming chaos and flux. He unraveled how political choices sculpt cities and geographies, showcasing the interplay of power, race, and class in urban development. Davis's work underscored the strategic role of cities in surveillance, policing, and the dynamics of class struggle, emphasizing the importance of understanding urban environments as battlegrounds shaped by organized violence and systemic control.
Importance of Learning from Defeat
Mike Davis emphasizes the significance of understanding defeat within social movements as a means of fostering a legacy and inspiring individuals to continue the fight for change. Through acknowledging the crushing of various movements in Los Angeles in the '60s, Davis highlights that individual commitments to social change endure, leading to ongoing activism in various forms, such as union organizing and community advocacy.
Creative Aggression and Discipline for Emancipation
Mike Davis demonstrates the necessity of creative aggression and discipline in building socialism and creating conditions for emancipation. His disciplined approach to writing, rooted in his experience as a political organizer, reflects his commitment to synthesizing ideas and memories to propel progressive change. Davis's work serves as a testament to the potential for a different future and encourages recognizing inherited tools for social transformation, ultimately advocating for a future where collective life is prioritized.
This week on The Verso Podcast Eleanor Penny is joined by Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Owen Hatherley to look at the unflinching work of writer, urban theorist and historian Mike Davis.
Verso x The Dig LIVE Podcast in London with Jeremy Corbyn, Laleh Khalili: tinyurl.com/bj2zx265
You can find Mike Davis' works here: tinyurl.com/3pse83y3
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