Contesting Neoliberalism

Reviews / Votes

A major contribution to the critical study of early 21st-century capitalism. Focusing on the role of cities as strategic arenas for neoliberal political projects, the contributors consistently and systematically underscore the profoundly contested character of contemporary urban restructuring. Drawing on a rich trove of case studies from cities around the world, the book explores the variegated strategies through which local actors and organizations have resisted market-based forms of urban governance and their deeply regressive, polarizing consequences for everyday life. This wide-ranging, accessible book contains a unique combination of cutting-edge theorizing, fine-grained empirical analyses, and incisive political critique. It will be essential reading for anyone who seeks to decipher or influence contemporary urban struggles.--Neil Brenner, New York University

Neoliberalism too often feels like a fait accompli, but this superlative volume shows that it is always a work in progress, shaped by the contestations it calls up against itself. From South Africa to Slovakia, from Calgary to Cancun, the studies in this book provide crucial insight into the roots and trajectory of the neoliberal project as it shapes--and is shaped by--the 'urban frontier.' Here, the authors show, the policies that put neoliberalism on the map run smack up against a full range of progressive struggles to transcend and transform a world in which it often seems like there are no alternatives. Contesting Neoliberalism will contest much of what you think you know about contemporary urban policy and its geography.--Don Mitchell, Syracuse University

This engaged and decentered account of neoliberalism opens up possibilities for radical change as well as new theoretical insights. Eschewing the usual starting points, Leitner et al. highlight the ongoing constitution of neoliberalism, pointing in particular to its multiple different incarnations on the ground as well as its formation and reformation through urban struggle. Drawing together numerous innovative studies from urban scholarship worldwide, this book demonstrates the importance of thinking empirically and spatially in order to come to grips with this powerful and ever-evolving doctrine.--Katharyne Mitchell, University of Washington

If you believe the city is a key arena for the making, contestation, and unmaking of neoliberal politics, and if you want to know about how cities are shaped and reshaped by neoliberalism and its discontents, seek no longer. This volume brings together leading scholar-activists to uncompromisingly dissect the realities of neoliberal urbanization and what can be done about it. This is an indispensable contribution for the critical scholar, urban activist, or anyone who is looking for ways to contest neoliberalism's pensee unique and to fight against its injustices and inequalities.--Erik Swyngedouw, Department of Geography, Oxford University
- This is a valuable addition to growing literature on the theme across disciplines. The introductory and concluding chapters make important readings on dialects between neoliberalism and resistance. Together the chapters bring to the fore the intercepting spatialities in (re)architecturing the contours of neoliberalism and resistances and provide some fresh insights particularly with a geographical 'gaze' to familiar and not-so-familiar terrains. --City, 10/26/2006?? If you are becoming jaded by books and articles on neoliberalism, this book is nonetheless definitely worth a close look. At the least, Contesting Neoliberalism could be your last best read on the subject. It is one of those rare edited collections that actually focuses collectively on the topic-not just on neoliberalism and the city, but on contesting neoliberalism-suggesting considerable work by the editors....This book...should become a significant milepost as resistance to neoliberal capitalism builds. --Economic Geography, 10/26/2006?? There is much that is important in this book. The introductory and concluding chapters take the lead, staking out an innovative and bold gaze onto the neoliberalism-resistance dialectic....Contesting Neoliberalism is an important step forward as geographers and other social scientists struggle to understand the intricacies of a powerful yet elusive neoliberalism....This book, exceedingly well written and relevant especially for graduate courses, advanced seminars, and research undertakings in the social sciences, provides a wealth of key pointers to deepen the inquiry into neoliberalism. I highly recommend this book, and will be returning to it again and again to strengthen my own base of understanding. --Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 10/26/2006?? The quality of the chapters is high. In addition to the editors, the contributing authors include such well known scholars of social movements and urban politics as Margit Mayer, Roger Keil, Patrick Bond, and William Sites. All of the authors, though, deliver thoughtful and substantive chapters. Theory is important and is used to frame the empirical offerings....This is an edited collection that delivers value. Theoretically sophisticated, the cases are also interesting and informative. And because the complexities of neoliberalism and its contestations defeat any attempt to formalize our knowledge, the editors aim to inform and guide us so that we know how to think about these issues, not what to think. This the book does admirably. --Journal of Planning Education and Research, 10/26/2006