Ungrievable Lives

Racism, Risk and Responsibility in Neoliberal Societies

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

1 239 kr

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In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the resurgence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) following the death of George Floyd, brought into stark clarity what scholars and activists have long argued – that when it comes to matters of sickness, health, life and death, some lives matter more than others. In this original and much-needed exploration of attitudes towards (un)grievable lives, Spratt extends Judith Butler’s theory of grievability to examine contemporary debates about blame, risk, death and dying in the context of racial disparities in health and mortality. Drawing on contemporary examples – from immigration policy and prison reform to medical ethics, health behaviours, and the denial of citizenship – Spratt reveals how neoliberal systems and attitudes produce hierarchies of human value. In doing so, she argues that racist, sexist and classist ideas about risk and vulnerability shape whose lives are protected and whose deaths are mourned, rendering some losses publicly grievable while others pass with little recognition.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-07-23
Mått156 x 234 x 25 mm
Vikt454 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor152
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN9781350400818

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AcknowledgementsPreface: A Note to the ReaderIntroduction: Conceptualising grievable life Conceptualising public responses to ‘poor health behaviours:’ Trauma,shame and ‘obesity’ in Roxane Gay’s Hunger: A Memoir of (my) Body Ungrievability and mass incarceration: The tragic death of Kalief BrowderUnderstanding Black lives as grievable Lives: Black Lives Matter and thekilling of George Floyd Ungrievability unveiled: ‘jihadi brides’ and the case of Shamima Begum Child death, visual consumption, and grievability politics: RememberingAlan Kurdi Conclusion: Imagining grievable futuresBibliographyIndex

Ungrievable Lives is an incredibly well written book which cuts to the core of the fatal logics of racism. Using a wide range of case studies and examples in a transnational frame, Spratt eloquently demonstrates how the construction of grievability - and the valuation of life and death more broadly - is a deeply racialised process which sits at the very foundation of our social world. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the contemporary biopolitics of race, the sociology of violence, and the sociology of valuation.