Development Drowned and Reborn is a “Blues geography” of
New Orleans, one that compels readers to return to the history of
the Black freedom struggle there to reckon with its unfinished
business. Reading contemporary policies of abandonment against the
grain, Clyde Woods explores how Hurricane Katrina brought
long-standing structures of domination into view. In so doing,
Woods delineates the roots of neoliberalism in the region and a
history of resistance.
Written in dialogue with social movements, this book offers tools
for comprehending the racist dynamics of U.S. culture and economy.
Following his landmark study, Development Arrested, Woods
turns to organic intellectuals, Blues musicians, and poor and
working people to instruct readers in this future-oriented history
of struggle. Through this unique optic, Woods delineates a history,
methodology, and epistemology to grasp alternative visions of
development.
Woods contributes to debates about the history and geography of
neoliberalism. The book suggests that the prevailing focus on
neoliberalism at national and global scales has led to a neglect of
the regional scale. Specifically, it observes that theories of
neoliberalism have tended to overlook New Orleans as an epicenter
where racial, class, gender, and regional hierarchies have
persisted for centuries. Through this Blues geography, Woods
excavates the struggle for a new society.
