Book Review – On the Edge: The Contested Cultures of English Suburbia

On the Edge: The Contested Cultures of English Suburbia is a hopeful exploration of the English suburbs which should fill social democrats with optimism about the possibility of building a project based on the common good.

New Labour was obsessed with the suburbs; which is somewhat understandable if one acknowledges suburbia as merely a space in which most Brits live, yet for New Labour the suburbs were seen as culturally hegemonic, the very essence of Britishness. This was a problem for those of us that wanted to see a more radical social democratic project as New Labour often cited the values of suburbia and middle England as reasons for why a more radical project was impossible. New Labour believed suburbia held certain immutable values; conservative, homogenous, highly aspirational and consumerist.

Yet it was clear long before the crash of 2008 that the suburbs were much more interesting and diverse than many in the Labour Party would acknowledge. Immigration, globalisation, the economic instability that arose from neoliberalism meant that the suburbs were changing fast. The cold winds of neoliberalism were never going to stop blowing at the city limits.

In On the Edge Rupa Huq paints an updated, nuanced and much needed picture of suburbia. Importantly she acknowledges that the suburbs are difficult for the left as they are often associated with private not communal space. Nevertheless she makes a convincing argument that suburbia’s values are changing not least because the bedrocks of post war stability; high employment, rising house values and rising wages no longer remain. Whether this results in a strengthening of conservative values as people cling to what they have or realise the need for more social security is something that remains to be seen.

Other important trends that are cited in the book include the breaking down of long ascribed role of male bread winner and female house wife and the diversification of once wholly white suburbs as ethnic communities make their way along commuter roads out of city and town centres.

These trends open up possibilities for those of us that want to see a common progressive project thrive throughout the UK. This is something Huq explores but mainly through the prism of the Labour Party and suburbia. She points out that Labour need to acknowledge that economic insecurity is a fact of life for many suburban homeowners and that many struggle to find enough hours in the day to manage life. I would have liked to hear more about how Huq feels the new and different forms of activism beyond party politics could be harnessed to help this common project as the increasingly complexity of suburbia (and beyond) means the very notion of mass political parties is under threat.

Like all good political books On the Edge: The Contested Cultures of English Suburbia helps us understand our society better by showing that 21st century suburbia is not a promised land but a place of contradictions with its fair share of problems and the important societal trends that Huq identifies have huge ramifications for all political activists.

On the Edge: The Contested Cultures of English Suburbia is out now