Occupying London
Post-crash resistance and the limits of possibility
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"Sam Burgum’s ethnography of the Occupy movement’s longest enduring encampment at Finsbury Square explains not only why the movement failed but what its failure means nearly a decade after the movement’s end. Occupy held out the possibility of change but it didn’t change our sense of the possible. Instead, its emphases on individualism, libertarianism, and identity reaffirmed core tenets of neoliberalism and reinvigorated accompanying racisms and nationalisms. This important work is crucial reading for anyone interested in contemporary political theory, social movements, and the need for progressive change" - Jodi Dean, author of Crowds and Party.
"Occupying London gets inside the movement that believed there is an alternative to the excesses, inequalities and moral blankness of the world we inhabit. Through meticulous fieldwork, Burgum offers a balanced and reflective assessment of the protest and those involved in it. This book raises important questions about the limits of resistance, social imagination and a system that, despite our anger and dissatisfaction with it, we are apparently unable to see beyond" - Rowland Atkinson, Research Chair in Inclusive Societies, University of Sheffield.
"This outstanding book draws on fieldwork with Occupy (in) London to consider the possibility of resisting neoliberalism in the post-crisis period. It centres on the curtailment of politics by neoliberal precepts that operate as ‘common sense’, and offers a vital contribution to our understanding of this problem and how we might move beyond it" - Nicholas Gane, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick.
"Through vivid description and careful attention to the voices of the protestors, Sam Burgum takes his readers to the Occupy London encampments, sharing the stories he was told and the experiences he shared. He offers us an honest, unromantic account, capturing the hope and excitement of the movement as well as its disappointments and failures. Anyone interested in the possibilities and challenges of political resistance should read this book." - Cath Lambert, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick.
