Cities, War, and Terrorism: Towards an Urban Geopolitics (Studies in Urban and Social Change) [Paperback]

Stephen Graham (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2004 | Series: Studies in Urban and Social Change

Cities, War and Terrorism is the first book to look critically at the ways in which warfare, terrorism and counter-terrorism policies intersect in cities in the post Cold-War period.

• A path-breaking exploration of the intersections of war, terrorism and cities
• Argues that contemporary cities are the key strategic sites of geopolitical conflict
• Written by the world’s leading analysts of the intersections of urban space and military and terrorist violence
• Draws on cutting-edge research from geography, history, architecture, planning, sociology, critical theory, politics, international relations and military studies
• Provides up-to-date empirical analyses of specific conflicts, including 9/11, the “War on Terrorism”, the Balkan wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and urban antiglobalization battles
• Offers lay readers a sophisticated perspective on the violence that is engulfing our increasingly urbanised world

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a brilliant, disturbing book. Modern cities have often been seen as places of extraordinary creativity and creative destruction, but for this very reason they are also often sites of spectacular military and paramilitary violence. These essays unsettle so many taken-for-granted ways of thinking about cities. Their authors crouch and scurry along streets that, for too long, have seemed opaque to our political and intellectual imaginations. There is a tremendous power and urgency to their arguments that should be confronted by anyone concerned at the intimacy of the connections between cities, war and terrorism." Derek Gregory, University of British Columbia

"Cities, War and Terrorism is a rare accomplishment. Bringing together a truly interdisciplinary group of authors, it provides the first, original investigation of the urbanisation of modern conflict. In their plural ways and myriad sites, the essays in this book investigate the changing nature of the contemporary battlespace and the implosion of distinctions between inside and outside, civilian and military. Together, they mark the beginning of a new and vital field of analysis – an urban geopolitics – that must concern us all." David Campbell, University of Durham

"Acts of war and terror against cities and their inhabitants (both anti-state and state sanctioned) are saturating our contemporary world. Yet urban researchers are in denial of this starkest of contemporary urban realities. Graham brings together the renegade thinkers and researchers who are tracking the ways in which global geopolitics is imploding into the urban world. Cities, War and Terrorism is a stunningly successful synthesis of the subtle interpenetration of global geopolitics and the micro-politics of cities and neighborhoods. It marks the beginning of a new and crucial research domain: that of urban geopolitics. This book must, and will, change the way urban researchers and planners think about and explore city regions. It helps to make sense of the ways in which the historic functions of cities and nation states (social welfare, education, health, planning) are being overwhelmed by the imperative of 'security' and the politics of fear. Purposely provocative and deeply disturbing." Leonie Sandercock, University of British Columbia

"Graham’s anger at the appropriation of the events of 9/11, simmering beneath the surface of his general introduction, contributes to a strong sense of editorial passion and involvement. This volume provides a fascinating, and immensely broad-ranging, call to understand the complex inter-relationships between geopolitical forces and those resilient urban lives."
Totalitarian Movements and Political Religion, Volume 7 Issue 4 (December 2006)

Book Description

Cities, War and Terrorism is the first book to look critically at the ways in which warfare, terrorism, and counter-terrorism policies intersect in cities in the post Cold-War period. It brings together new writing by the world's leading analysts of urban space and military and terrorist violence from the fields of geography, architecture, planning, sociology, critical theory, politics, international relations, and military studies. Arguing that urban spaces are now the critical, strategic sites of geopolitical struggle, the contributors combine cutting-edge theoretical reflections with empirical case studies. They provide up-to-date analyses of a range of specific urban sites, including those involved in the Cold War, the Balkan wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 9/11 attacks, the "War on Terror" attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, and urban antiglobalization battles. The book offers readers a sophisticated perspective on the violence that is engulfing our increasingly urbanized world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (December 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405115750
• ISBN-13: 978-1405115759
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)