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Searching for actually existing justice in the city

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  • Miriam Williams

Abstract

Locating justice in the city can be a difficult task. Urban theory has focused on exposing injustice and critiquing the multiple occurrences of injustice in cities. But what role could uncovering practices of actually existing justice in the city play in critical theory? How would we begin to look for actually existing justice in the here and now? By adopting a performative ontology and a politics of possibility, I argue that it is possible to expose, propose and amplify (Iveson, 2010) actually existing justice practices in the everyday city. A shift in thinking and research approach may be needed to make theoretical and ontological space for justice. In this paper I discuss research approaches that assist in locating justice in the city. Theorisations of a politics of possibility, performative ontological politics, weak theory and reading for difference are a suite of research practices that make space for the presence of justice. I argue that cities can be sites of actually existing justice practiced as a response to situated injustices or as a way of doing/being/thinking the city differently and demonstrate this with the example of Alfalfa House Organic Food Cooperative, Sydney, Australia. Documenting how justice is expressed in our cities is essential for work that seeks to grow and nurture justice projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Miriam Williams, 2017. "Searching for actually existing justice in the city," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(10), pages 2217-2231, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:54:y:2017:i:10:p:2217-2231
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098016647336
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Peter Marcuse, 2009. "From critical urban theory to the right to the city," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2-3), pages 185-197, June.
    2. Colin McFarlane, 2011. "Assemblage and critical urbanism," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 204-224, April.
    3. Ash Amin, 2002. "Ethnicity and the Multicultural City: Living with Diversity," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(6), pages 959-980, June.
    4. Peter Marcuse, 2010. "The need for critical theory in everyday life: Why the tea parties have popular support," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 355-369, August.
    5. David Harvey, 2003. "The right to the city," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 939-941, December.
    6. Alan Latham, 2003. "Urbanity, Lifestyle and Making Sense of the New Urban Cultural Economy: Notes from Auckland, New Zealand," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(9), pages 1699-1724, August.
    7. Kurt Iveson, 2010. "Some critical reflections on being critical: Reading for deviance, dominance or difference?," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 434-441, August.
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