The rise of spectator democracy

Byung-Chul Han on how neoliberalism has turned citizens into consumers and political engagement into jeering and complaining from the sidelines… “Neoliberalism makes its citizens into consumers.The freedom of the citizen yields to the passivity of the consumer. As consumers, today’s voters have no real interest in shaping politics – in actively shaping the community. They […]

Name me a village where a Nobel prize was won

“Some cynic said to me, name me a village where a Nobel prize was won.” I heard Professor Ricky Burdett of the LSE’s Cities Institute say this on an excellent piece of radio on London’s development the other day and it got me thinking about the city and the countryside. The city – as a […]