Waarom de theoretische architecten van ‘t Rotterdamse BAVO er voor kiezen om hun nieuwste boek te presenteren in Amsterdam is al een interessante vraag op zich. Het antwoord moeten we je schuldig blijven.
Het boek zelf - dat de titel Urban Politics Now, Re-Imagining Democracy in the Neoliberal City - is te interessant om onopgemerkt te blijven. We citeren even de achterflap:
‘Today we are witnessing an onslaught of neo-liberal and neo-conservative views on society. Fundamental decisions about the form and future of cities are increasingly presented as the product of inescapable processes: the laws of supply and demand, the clash of civilizations, deep-seethed desire for identity. This is the basic tenet of the book volume Urban Politics Now. Re-imagining Democracy in the Neoliberal City, edited by the urban theoretical office BAVO and published by NAi Publishers in November last year. Through contributions by internationally renowned scholars such as Slavoj Zizek, Neil Smith, Edward W. Soja and Dieter Lesage, the question is elaborated whether there is still space left for democratic urban politics in today’s political climate. How can disenfranchised groups express their dissatisfaction without running the risk of being discarded as conservative forces? And, how can a city’s development again be steered by a collective political project, instead of profit margins, consumer demand or tribal hysteria? These are all questions that are extremely relevant in the Dutch context.’
Waarom het boek niet gewoon in het Nederlands verschijnt is een andere relevante vraag. Stel het aan de samenstellers op 2 februari in de Balie te Amsterdam. Kijken via Live Cast kan ook. Kun je wel geen vragen stellen, natuurlijk.
‘Migrants / Media / Megapolis: New labour struggles in the global city’
Date | Saturday February 2
Time | 14.00 - 18.00 hrs.
Book Presentation | 13.00 hrs.
Language | English
Entry | Free (reservation recommended)
Live webcast | www.debalie.nl/live
Organised in collaboration with Flexmens / Coalition For a Better Future
Boek:
Urban Politics Now, Re-Imagining Democracy in the Neoliberal City
BAVO (editors)
Paperback, 240 pages, English edition, ISBN 978-90-5662-616-7
www.naipublishers.nl/architectuur/urbanpolitics_nl.html
