The Black Lives Matter Movement: Transnational Activism and the Role of Neo-Liberal Urbanism.

This project seeks to understand the transnationalism of the Black Lives Matter (BLM)
movement. While a small body of work has addressed BLM in the US, the issue of
transnationalism has been neglected in the current academic literature. This provides a
unique opportunity for me to be amongst the first to critically investigate BLM as a
transnational movement. The BLM movement has established itself most clearly in urban
contexts, and my project explores the relationship between neo-liberal urbanism and
BLM activism. Key questions are: why did a movement originating in 'small town' America
resonate with activists transnationally? What role has neo-liberal urbanism played in
creating a transnational BLM? What are the advantages and challenges of a transnational
BLM movement? What difference does place make to how the BLM movement is
understood and enacted in different urban contexts? How effective is transnational BLM
activism in combatting racism and inequalities?
I will use multi-sited ethnography to explore BLM activism in London, Sydney and
Vancouver. The multi-site approach also enables insight into the uneven geographies of
activism across time and space where different issues may come to the fore. These cities
will provide political insight into why and how BLM has resonated with activists, and the
types of networks that have made this possible. My research will highlight the critical
importance of the relationship between race and urbanism.