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Sian Lewin

December 13th, 2013

Collisions, Coalitions and Riotous Subjects: a special section of sociological research online reflecting on the English Riots of 2011

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Sian Lewin

December 13th, 2013

Collisions, Coalitions and Riotous Subjects: a special section of sociological research online reflecting on the English Riots of 2011

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

 by Kim Allen, Sumi Hollingworth, Ayo Mansaray and Yvette Taylor

*Education and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Manchester Metropolitan University; Weeks Centre for Social and Policy Research Centre, London South Bank University; Brunel University; Weeks Centre for Social and Policy Research Centre, London South Bank University

In an autumn in which the New Statesman commissions Russell Brand to guest edit an issue on Revolution, and organised protest gets into full swing with the Bonfire of Austerity, a spate of public sector strikes, and the Anonymous linked Million Masked March on Guy Fawkes night, riotous resistance is the talk of Britain. What perfect timing then for a special section of Sociological Research Online on reflections on the English Riots of 2011. While in 2012 we saw the marketing of the London Olympics as an attempt to erase the troubled and troubling memories of the Riots, in 2013 unemployment rates continue to rise and welfare cuts deepen, and we have seen growing anger and political disenchantment amongst various sections of society.

Over five nights in the summer of 2011, as austerity measures were coming into full biting force, England witnessed riots across several cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, and Nottingham. Sparked by the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year old black man from Tottenham, North London, these five days saw unrest on the streets of England.   In this special section, with papers from academics across a range of disciplines and career stages, we consider how to ‘reflect‘ on the dis-ordering and dis-orientating effects of recirculating inequalities which locate crime, blame and failure in the most disadvantaged places, while retrieving order, safety and resources for the most advantaged populations.
The papers in this special section emerged from a conference entitled ‘Collisions, Coalitions and Riotous Subjects: The Riots One Year On’, held on the 28th September 2012.  Organized by the Weeks Centre for Social and Policy Research (London South Bank University) and the Institute for Policy Studies in Education (London Metropolitan University), the conference, and the resulting special section, sought to examine the English riots of 2011 and its relationships to (re-shaped) inequalities in contemporary Britain and beyond.
Read the full blog post here.
Read the article ‘Fox-Trotting the Riot: Slow Rioting in Britain’s Inner City’ by LSE Sociology Research Fellow, Lisa Mckenzie here.

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Sian Lewin

Posted In: Doing Sociology | Social Inequalities

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