Description
Book SynopsisHowhaunted by the idea that their suburban homes were under siegethe second generation of suburban residents expanded spatial control and cultural authority through a strategy of productive victimization. The explosive growth of American suburbs following World War II promised not only a new place to live but a new way of life, one away from the crime and crowds of the city. Yet, by the 1970s, the expected security of suburban life gave way to a sense of endangerment. Perceived, and sometimes material, threats from burglars, kidnappers, mallrats, toxic waste, and even the occult challenged assumptions about safe streets, pristine parks, and the sanctity of the home itself. In Neighborhood of Fear, Kyle Riismandel examines how suburbanites responded to this crisis by attempting to take control of the landscape and reaffirm their cultural authority. An increasing sense of criminal and environmental threats, Riismandel explains, coincided with the rise of cable television, VCRs, Dunge
Trade Review[
Neighborhood of Fear] stands out in its insistence on taking popular culture seriously. By examining suburban victim narratives, Riismandel reveals how some of the most privileged Americans have continually leveraged cultural power into political gain.
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Los Angeles Review of BooksRiismandel's work is a meaningful contribution to the ever-expanding field of urban studies, providing a deep dive into the history of the modern suburbs and their integral role in shaping the political landscape of American culture.
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SmithsonianTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Age of the Nimby: Environmental Hazard and Spatial Power on the Suburban Landscape
2. Neighborhood of Fear: Toxic Suburbia, Affective Practice, and the Invisible Prison
3. "Fear Stalks the Streets": Home Security, Kidnapping, and the Making of the Carceral Suburb
4. Punks, Mallrats, and Out-of-Control Teenagers: Production and Regulation of Suburban Public Space
5. Parental Advisory—Explicit Content: Popular Occulture and (Re)Possessing the Suburban Home
Epilogue
Notes
Index
