Synopses & Reviews
An absorbing journey into the Latino struggle to gain social power, by the acclaimed urban historian.A fascinating account of the Latinization of the US urban landscape, Magical Urbanism forcefully shows that this is a demographic and cultural revolution with extraordinary implications. Davis focuses on the great drama of how Latinos are attempting to translate their urban demographic ascendancy into effective social power. Pundits are now unanimous that Spanish-surname voters are the sleeping giant of US politics, yet electoral mobilization alone is unlikely to redress the increasing income and opportunity gaps between urban Latinos and suburban non-Hispanic whites. Therefore, in Los Angeles and elsewhere, the militant struggles of Latino workers and students are reinventing the American left. Fully updated throughout, and with new chapters on the anti-immigrant backlash, the impact of climate change on the urban Southwest, and the exploding counter-migration of Anglos to Mexico, Magical Urbanism is essential reading for anyone who wants to grasp the future of urban America.
About the Author
MacArthur Fellow Mike Davis is a professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Irvine, and an editor of New Left Review. His pioneering book on Los Angeles, City of Quartz, has sold over 200,000 copies. His work as a historian and urbanist has been hugely influential across the academic disciplines and beyond.