The Surrounds: Urban Life within and beyond Capture

AbdouMaliq Simone's book "The Surrounds" explores the interface of the urban and the political, focusing on the spaces beyond control and capture that are a locus of rebellion and invention. He shows how residents use these spaces for purposes they were not designed for, reshaping what individuals and collectives can do. The surrounds are an integral part of the expansiveness of urban imagination.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

Renowned urbanist AbdouMaliq Simone presents a fresh perspective on the interplay between the urban and political realms. Working at the intersection of Black studies, urban theory, and decolonial and Islamic thought, Simone delves into the concept of the "surrounds," which encompasses urban spaces beyond control and capture, serving as a breeding ground for rebellion and innovation. Simone demonstrates that even within meticulously designed city environments, such as industrial, carceral, administrative, or domestic settings, residents repurpose spaces for unintended purposes. Schools transform into housing, markets become classrooms, tax offices evolve into repair shops. The surrounds, as Simone argues, are where nothing aligns with predefined designs. They are the domains where forgotten and marginalized populations forge new relationships and ways of living and being, continually reshaping the boundaries of what individuals and collectives can achieve. Instead of dwelling on potential future worlds, Simone's approach centers on the present-day creations of people. He showcases how the surrounds are an essential component of the boundless imagination of the urban realm. By examining the ways in which individuals and communities are shaping the surrounds, Simone offers a profound understanding of the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of cities.

Weight: 408g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478015505