David Bell's hostile review of Eric Hazan’s work is not surprising: clearly, the tradition of “people’s histories”, inaugurated by A.L. Morton’s A People’s History of England (1938) and continued, amongst others, by Howard Zinn and Chris Harman, is unlikely to find favour in the corridors of Princeton’s History Department – at least, since the retirement of Arno Mayer. However, aside from the silly gripe about the cover image (ever heard of artistic licence, David?) and the contemptuous tone of the piece, it is worth dwelling on the sneering reference to “the eccentric Trotskyite [sic.]-anarchist militant Daniel Guérin”.
Blagging. Hero shot. Ruin porn. Edgework. Trojan horse exploit. Tweeker. Chimping.
While unfamiliar to the average city-dweller, these words dominate the world of place-hacking and urban exploration; a coded language that takes you to the edge of the city, it’s forgotten tunnels and unfinished skyscrapers.
Today (Mon 29th Sep) and tomorrow we’re giving away 10 copies of the new paperback of Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City by Bradley Garrett - a gonzo road trip of urban exploration revealing the most exciting secret, hidden and forgotten parts of our cities. You will also win a Verso tote bag filled with urban reading goodies including Keller Easterling, Patrick Keiller & David Harvey!
It is assumed that every inch of the world has been explored and charted; that there is nowhere new to go. But perhaps it is the everyday places around us—the cities we live in—that need to be rediscovered. In Explore Everything, Bradley Garrett and the London Consolidation Crew (an urban exploration collective) place-hack the city, recasting it as a place for endless adventure. In doing so they have created their own language, including terms like ruin porn, hero shot, chimping and noob. Here we present that glossary in full. So get your crowbar out and set out to explore your city!
In a recent radio interview with Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash, Stanley Aronowitz points to the failings of organized labor in New York City— offering insight into his upcoming book The Death and Life of American Labor: Toward a New Workers' Movement.