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Jeremy Corbyn and the war machine: Assemblage and affect in the 2015 UK Labour Party Leadership Contest

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  • Sam Page

Abstract

In September 2015, the once obscure left-wing MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn, became the UK Labour Party’s leader following the party’s defeat at the 8 May 2015 General Election. Corbyn came from the position of outsider, going from barely getting a place on the leadership ballot in the first place, to winning an outright majority. In this paper, I argue that Corbyn’s campaign reveals how elections and electoral campaigns are affective events, and highlights an issue with much existing electoral geography literature: elections are seldom written about as social, affective experiences. Through interviews and an ethnographic approach to Facebook, I examine the experiences within the party and on social media during the Labour leadership campaign. I argue that we might understand his campaign’s success better through the Deleuzo-Guattarian concept of the war machine. I conclude by considering the implications and questions that this theory provides for the future of his leadership, as well as the political geography of the state.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam Page, 2021. "Jeremy Corbyn and the war machine: Assemblage and affect in the 2015 UK Labour Party Leadership Contest," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 39(7), pages 1319-1337, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:39:y:2021:i:7:p:1319-1337
    DOI: 10.1177/2399654419841385
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    1. John Schwarzmantel, 2007. "Community as Communication: Jean‐Luc Nancy and ‘Being‐in‐Common’," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 55(2), pages 459-476, June.
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