You are on page 1of 3

Banu Deniz

1714930
The New Urban Question by Andy Merrifield
Critical review Cities Under Tension
The main considerations of this chapter are:
1- A popular Paris which Eric Hazan invents as the one lied beyond the
center that included white and bourgeois denizens
2- The situation of the periphery and the outside of the center of Paris
through Hazans view
3- The new urban question that Hazan conceived which is grounded on
two reasons by Merrifield, which are the urban practice that Paris gave
us called Haussmannization as well as a new global process called
neo-Haussmannization and insurrection
4- The transformation of cities into mega cities by the example of Paris
5- The immanent centers and peripheries within the secondary circuit of
capital
6- The ideas of Hazan about the insurrection being twin-pronged
including inner energy and outer compulsion/propulsion
7- The urban as use-value
8- The aristocracy and effects of them on sans-culottes
9- The June Days of 1848 as an inspiration
10-The end of an era of expectations in life

For the first three paragraph of the chapter, Merrifield highlights Paris under
tension through the view of Eric Hazan who is a denizen of Paris. He tells
that as a historian who acknowledges his hometown very well, Hazan desires

a different Paris from the past one. The Paris, Hazan has in his mind, is the
one beyond the center or even without a center, in which impoverished
black and Arab peoples live. He interprets that the miscellaneous banlieues
are the source of great energy and potential for renewed urban vitality which
he most probably refers to civil war between aristocrats as ruling classes and
sans-culottes in Paris. I believe that it is too sensible to refer someone who
has an eye for telling quotations and Merrifield gives us a presentative
example as the ideas of Eric Hazan who seems to have first-hand experience
to understand the relations between the real life and Disneyland
concerning social, economical and political occasions ongoing especially in
our discriminatory society.
Then we come to the new urban question which Merrifield grounds on two
reasons. He represents that the how Haussmannization which showed the
manipulation of economy and politics was a counter-revolution distraining
public savings to be privatized. Today, Paris faces with a new global process
called neo- Haussmannization differing in a way that is more condensed with
energy, finance, information and communication. As Merrifield reports, the
cities transformed into mega-cities and Paris is one sample of this new urban
tradition. Although there is no obvious urban-suburban divide, the center
creates its own periphery which means that center and periphery are in the
continuous loop, everywhere. It is not difficult to see this intangible borders
in our cities but the problematic issue here is how we deal with the capitalist
power dominating the whole world. Then, as a solution, I can refer the
previous chapters regarding the effective action which is related with the
forthcoming subject: insurrection.
Merrifield sets that insurrection by Hazan implies two matters, which are
inner energy and outer compulsion/propulsion.

The first one is a wish to

rebuild the margins as livable neighborhood. As in the example of peripheral


Parisian spaces, to make somewhere worth to live in can be achieved by
promoting the use value of the urban fabric.

It expresses the political

insurrection desiring a change to life. Hazan thinks this insurrection will


occur at the periphery. His insurrection represents a hypothesis for people
who are aware of the abusive conditions of economy and politics to struggle

with it through action and activism. He illustrates that sans-culottes have


much work to revalorize the devalued spaces; on the other hand the outer
propulsion of the insurrection must continue to occupy the spaces of the 1
percent.

He considers the global ruling class as the aristocracy because

they have the similar features with the former parasitic elites. The capitalist
growth in wealth leads to extinction of living labor.
June Days of 1848 charges the insurrection up for Hazan and Alexis de
Tocqueville considers those June Days as the greatest and strangest
insurrection that had ever taken place in the history and the most important
factor in that is being independent from battle cry, leaders or

flag.

The

ordinary people played the key role for this insurrection. But then, today we
face with another reality rather than that social contract between
bourgeoisie and workers, which means no more expectations.
He concludes this chapter with his wish-image that can be interpreted as
cities without dividing. The last paragraph is the most meaningful one for me
considering todays conditions in which you do not expect living standards of
high quality.

Merrifields desires reflect my image for the coming

insurrection which would get rid of the barricades in our cities. Solely and
conflictingly, I have a little even no expectation from this forthcoming
insurrection, because we all live in a world of phobia created by dominating
powers and it is hard to dare for a different and improved one. I do not
support the passive positions of ordinary people in society; on the other
hand any kind of occupation seems to have a dead-end.
psychological

term

can

define

this

situation

which

called

Maybe a
learned

helplessness that we all are experiencing in these days, but of course; this
desperation must be vacated by the right direction of our instincts for a
better world.

You might also like