Room for Hope in Suburbia

In my journey to become a social scientist, I’ve spent countless hours pondering over the unique role of suburban communities in our evolving socio-political climate. In my dissertation defense, my committee was quick to point out that my diagnostics of crises, coupled with suburban depoliticization, did not leave much room for hope or new practices. Part of this is because the work was intended to set a critical foundation, and another part is that I do not have a tremendous amount of hope that the average American subject of the suburban apparatus will in fact move to mobilize and resist the forces which have led to these crises. I am not much into utopia. However, that does not mean I wish to foreclose on hope for the future. And I do believe there can be no moves toward revolutionary progress without the suburban class, as history is keen to make apparent.

The immense influence of neoliberalism and its consequences has often led me to seek out potential wellsprings of resistance to these forces. Despite the seeming tranquility and ordinariness of the suburbs, I have found them to be uniquely positioned for a transformative upheaval against the neoliberal narrative.

Neoliberalism, with its insistence on deregulation, privatization, and free-market capitalism as the path to progress, has left its mark globally. Critics of this ideology, myself included, argue that it often fuels socio-economic disparities, discourages public sector participation in essential sectors, and contributes to environmental degradation due to unrestricted industrial development and the corporate state exploitation of all life and material.

Surprisingly, the very areas of society that neoliberal policies affect deeply, like the suburban landscape, and inversely correlate with the suburban sense of security, and their dreams that have all been depoliticized, thus making these zones of crisis seem ordinary and everyday. The alarm wrought by rising suburban precarity and ecological destruction of suburban communities (like wildfires), is dampened by suburban life itself and the belief that suburban life is always already ideal, ordinary, and good. Suburbia is both real and illusory for this reason. It is a land of norms yet perpetually envisioned as a space of American dream and portrayed as an idealistic zenith of Western lifestyles.

However, looking beyond the surface, I’ve discerned compelling elements of potential change within these seemingly dormant spaces. The demographic evolution of the suburbs, once predominantly white and middle-class, into diverse communities is a beacon of hope. This diversification has led to a shift in collective consciousness, a burgeoning awareness of socio-political issues, and an underlying potential to upend the status quo.

Simultaneously, I’ve observed the immense untapped potential for resource mobilization within suburban communities, that can connect with larger struggles and a variety of urban and rural interest. These inhabitants are armed with an array of skills and expertise that, if harnessed, could propel collective action. Their economic power could be wielded to affect change, to champion local, ethical, and sustainable businesses, or to influence the political landscape by advocating for officials who prioritize social and economic justice.

In the political arena, the suburbs have always held strategic sway. As often ‘swing’ areas, they bear the power to alter the course of elections. If this political clout is directed towards progressive causes, it could steer national policies away from the neoliberal narrative. And if they are willing to go a step further, anything becomes possible.

Envisioning a suburban-led revolution against neoliberalism, begins with education regarding class and power, language that much of the suburban consciousness lacks today. And they lack an awareness of their social position and how their social position might be extended beyond their own self-interests. They have little awareness of the power of suburbia to exemplify and define what society considers to be a “good life.”

The suburbs have the power to make new normative beliefs, activities, and ethics part of the social structure and embodiment in society. That is a lot of capacity to use power arrangements to create something new for all. It is imperative to illuminate the realities of neoliberalism and its effects on suburban communities, such that the suburban subject see themselves in terms of larger crises under neoliberalism. Through local meetings, workshops, and online discussions, one can generate critical consciousness and spark dialogues about alternatives and how to link social forces with external interests.

Next, community organization is key but it cannot just be about self-interest, property value preservation, crime, or schools. Organization must broaden the political interests and awareness of suburban subjectivity. Given the chance, I would urge suburbanites to form unions, neighborhood associations, organizations or cooperatives to voice and advocate for their interests, but more importantly, to platform and give power to interests of others outside the suburban boundary. Such groups can address issues ranging from economic access, housing affordability, planning, land use, environmental protection, methods of resistance, and calls for direct action, all setting the stage for wider political action.

As a social scientist, I also underscore the importance of active political participation. The power of the vote, the voice, and the resources suburbanites possess can support candidates and policies that counter neoliberal norms. But their activity will have to go beyond the ballot box, and their bodies must also be present on the front line.

By being actively involved in the democratic and revolutionary processes, these communities can start reshaping the political landscape. This reshaping must be the alternative offered to them as a counter narrative – instead of being victims of center right platitudes, arbiters of their own slow economic bleed-out draining away their own prosperity and desires – new political activity could redefine their lives from helpless indebted agents disempowered by finance, to a ferocious, skilled, and invested revolutionary constituency.

Building solidarity movements with other affected groups—urban workers, indigenous communities, climate activists—is another crucial step. Solidarity amplifies collective power, ensuring that the revolution we envision is intersectional and inclusive. The suburbs shape life inside their boundaries while also imposing their norms on society. To make the best use of the latter, new networks in larger society need to be established and fostered.

Lastly, the local economy needs to be incorporated . Supporting local businesses, consuming sustainably produced goods, efforts at renewable and democratically-managed energy infrastructure, or participating in community-supported agriculture programs, can all directly challenge corporate dominance, promoting economic models that prioritize people and the planet.

These activities are tied to land and the use of productive land. Important in that land is both the source of rights, as well as original value production. For too long suburban land ownership has been coercively used to politically steer homeowners to follow certain agendas, to drive anti-urban sentiment, and to store class power. Land and ownership of land as a political object needs to be understood for what it is, and what it can do politically. Land is the basis for all great distributive shifts in history. Land, and ownership under capitalism is the central source of economic and social power and it can be leveraged in a number of ways.

For example, most people would be shocked to discover how much the government pays people to let land remain fallow, or in other words, unproductive. Yet most suburban areas are peripheral to the urban core and proximal to arable land and rural communities. The expertise to locally manage land is there as well. New local land practices as a form of resistance could not only provide for a more localized economy, but the ties to land amplify revolutionary potential.

In the course of my research, I’ve found that a suburban-led revolution against neoliberalism is not just a fantasy—it’s an necessary component. Which makes the subject both awkward and necessary.

It sounds stupid at first until you realize that the suburbs helped get us into this by their own self-interest, political lethargy, and exclusionary methods of politics. After that, one look at history demonstrates that the disaffected middle class, particularly land-owning or land-using communities, have always been the intellectual managers of revolutionary uprising. Sentiment of the landowning class has steered the histories of entire nations. The trick being to accelerate the critical knowledge needed within the suburban subject such that they become aware of this fact. Comfort is easy and change is hard, even when the cost of the status quo threatens planetary life itself.

In the US the suburban subject is deprived of their own sense of social power, while they are stuffed with consumer choice as a stand in for actual political freedom. The demand for freedom is desperately needed by others who cannot voice such demands – and who have no comfort to satisfy them. The suburban subject accepts less democratic societies because it safeguards their interests and does not appear to threaten their sense of normalcy and comfort (even though that comfort is in fact threatened today). Inverting the etherizing effects of consumer nullification is also key.

This illusion of comfort in exchange for freedom must be changed, not just changed – it must be rejected as an illusion. And eventually it will be on its own – As insurance companies refuse to insure homes, as climate change destroys whole suburban communities, and as the cost of middle-class life becomes increasingly precarious, they can be made ready for such a transformation without the need for eventual immiseration. They can act now rather than later. However, a revolutionary spark will require the right awareness, organization, and action. For the suburban class to lead a revolution, the must be awoken from their stasis. While any revolution that dismantles the existing neoliberal order must also be tied to greater social needs, if the outcome is to be just and equitable. That may mean sacrifices for suburbia, but it does not mean they cannot lead the resistance. Given the stakes, and our lack of time remaining to act, there may be little choice.

Further Reading

1. “A Brief History of Neoliberalism” by David Harvey: Harvey provides an excellent overview of the rise and influence of neoliberalism, with insightful analysis of its effects on various parts of the world.
2. “The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class—and What We Can Do About It” by Richard Florida: Florida details how neoliberal policies have shaped our cities and suburbs and offers suggestions for change.
3. “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker” by Katherine J. Cramer: This book provides an interesting look at the rural/suburban political divide and how it’s been influenced by broader political and economic forces.
4. “The Suburban Revolution: How Suburbs have Shaped Modern America” by Becky Nicolaides: A historical look at the rise of the suburbs and how they’ve evolved over time.
5. “Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution” by David Harvey: Harvey’s work discusses the possibilities for urban and suburban resistance to neoliberalism.
6. “Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right” by Lisa McGirr: This book traces the rise of conservative politics in the suburbs, but provides a lens through which to understand suburban political power more broadly.
7. “Spaces of Hope” by David Harvey: In this book, Harvey discusses potential strategies for resisting neoliberalism and creating more equitable social structures.
8. “Neoliberalism: A Very Short Introduction” by Manfred B. Steger and Ravi K. Roy: A brief and accessible overview of the ideology and impacts of neoliberalism.