Wednesday, June 5, 20244:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Bunche Hall, Rm 6275
The death of Nahel was not a one-off incident, but part of a longer history of suburban unrest in France's marginalized suburbs. It was a déjà-vu.
The Center for European and Russian Studies, in co-sponsorship with the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, invites you to a talk by Luuk Slooter, Assistant Professor in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University and current visiting Professor at UCLA’s Center for European and Russian Studies (Dutch Studies Program), entitled "Violence in the suburbs of France: a tragic cycle of déjà vus". This talk will take place at Bunche Hall Room 6725 at 4PM in-person. Register now!
About the Talk
On 27 June 2023 a 17-year-old boy, Nahel Merzouk, is shot dead by the police in Nanterre, a suburb north of Paris (France). The same night collective violence erupts: cars burn down, buildings are set on fire and there are heavy clashes between young people and the police. The unrest spreads across the French Republic and lasts for 8 days. The death of Nahel was not a one-off incident, but part of a longer history of suburban unrest in France’s marginalized suburbs. It was a déjà-vu. A tragic play that has been staged multiple times over the past four decades. Although the play has been performed in different forms, at different locations, and by different actors, it has remained loyal to a script in three acts. In this talk, Slooter will bring you to the disadvantaged suburbs (banlieues) of France and disaggregate this three act drama. Drawing on ethnographic research, Slooter will show how the cycle of car burning protests and police brutality is rooted in the structural violence of a socially and spatially divided society.
About the Speaker
Luuk Slooter is an Assistant Professor Conflict Studies at Utrecht University. His research focuses on urban uprisings, violence, policing, polarization and spatial segregation. He conducted ethnographic research in the French banlieues and disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD from Utrecht University (the Netherlands) and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (France). His book publications include ‘The Making of the Banlieue: An Ethnography of Space, Identity and Violence’ (Palgrave, 2019) and ‘Geweld’ [Violence] (Athenaeum, 2021 – in Dutch - co-authored with Prof. Jolle Demmers). Luuk Slooter is currently visiting Professor at UCLA’s Center for European and Russian Studies (Dutch Studies Program).
Venue
Bunche Hall, Rm 6275
(6th floor of Bunche Hall)
315 Portola Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Parking
Parking Structure 5 is closest to the event venue. Parking Structure 5 is accessible from Royce Drive, south of Sunset Boulevard, and west of Hilgard Ave. (in the northeast section of the campus). Alternatively, Parking Structure 4 is also close to the venue and has Pay-By-Space Visitor Parking available. Guest drop/Ride-share drop off is closest at the turnaround at the front of Royce Hall located at: 10745 Dickson Court, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Accessible parking: If you have accessibility needs, you may park in the Pay-By-Space/Visitor Parking area on the rooftop (level 5) of this structure, and proceed to the Self-Service Pay Station machine to pay by credit card.
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Slooter-Talk--1---1--hz-k5i.mp3
Sponsor(s): Center for European and Russian Studies, UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy