This commentary reflects on the influence of the post-political critique on urban studies. In this literature (e.g. Swyngedouw, 2014), the default position of contemporary democracies is post-politics – the truly political is only rare, random and radical. The ‘post-political trap’ refers to the intuitively convincing, yet ultimately confining account it provides of contemporary urban governance. We identify three shortcomings. First, the binary understanding of the real political/politics as police negates the in-betweenness and contingency of actually existing urban politics. By so doing, secondly, political agency is reduced to the heroic and anti-heroic. Thus, the plurality of political agency in the urban sphere and multi-faceted forms of power lose their political quality. Third, the perceived omnipotence of the post-political order actually diminishes the possibilities of the urban as a political space of resistance and emancipation. On these grounds we argue not for a rejection of the notion of the post-political per se but for a more differentiated approach, one more alert to the contingencies of the political and of depoliticisation in the urban realm.

Ross Beveridge

Philippe Koch

Urban Studies

Urban Studies was first published in 1964 to provide an international forum of social and economic contributions to the fields of urban and regional planning. Since then, the Journal has expanded to encompass the increasing range of disciplines and approaches that have been brought to bear on urban and regional problems. Contents include original articles, notes and comments, and a comprehensive book review section. Regular contributions are drawn from the fields of economics, planning, political science, statistics, geography, sociology, population studies and public administration.

Urban Studies was first published in 1964 to provide an international forum for social and economic contributions to the fields of urban and regional planning. Since then, the journal has expanded its scope to include a growing range of disciplines and approaches applied to urban and regional issues. The contents include original articles, notes and comments, and a comprehensive book review section. Regular contributions come from the fields of economics, planning, political science, statistics, geography, sociology, population studies, and public administration.

《Urban Studies》创刊于1964年，旨在为城市和区域规划领域提供一个国际性的社会和经济贡献论坛。自那时起，期刊的范围不断扩大，涵盖了越来越多的学科和方法，这些学科和方法被应用于城市和区域问题的研究。期刊内容包括原创文章、评论和意见，以及全面的书评部分。定期投稿的领域包括经济学、规划、政治学、统计学、地理学、社会学、人口研究和公共管理。

Category	Quartile
经济学	1
经济学, 环境研究	2
经济学, 城市研究	2

The post-political trap? Reflections on politics, agency and the city

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
URBAN STUDIES	1