Depoliticization and Urban Politics: Moving Beyond the “Post-political” City

Abstract

Privatization of urban space is increasing, the needs of the global economy push out those of ordinary citizens and austerity increasingly provides the horizons of urban politics. On these grounds, one can quite easily understand the appeal of the post-political city thesis as articulated by urbanist Erik Swyngedouw. His post-political city is largely devoid of proper politics, governed instead through managerial consensus-driven political systems. In this chapter, we consider the implications of this approach for the field of urban studies. We assert that closer inspection of the post-political city thesis shows a restricting account of contemporary urban politics, unhelpful for thinking about the dynamics of (de)politicization in urban contexts. Our main argument is that work within the frame of the post-political city avoids or is inconsistent about the “urban”, while being very prescriptive about politics. This is problematic because the “post-political city” has become something of a label for the lack of politics in and about the city. We conclude the piece by proposing ways of realigning the field of enquiry. Our fundamental concern throughout is epistemological: when we look at the city through the post-political lens, what happens to politics?