Regional Narratives and Post-racial Fantasies in the English Riots

Abstract

This article considers the manner in which the urban disturbances across England in 2011 were framed in popular and scholarly understanding. The article suggests that the days of rioting are not, in themselves, the events that merit analysis and scrutiny. Instead, we should consider again how we frame urban unrest within a broader analysis of the renegotiation of public space and national identities. The article goes on to consider the representation of regional characters in coverage of the riots and to present an analysis of fantasies of the post-racial that emerged in relation to events in Birmingham.