Riots, Strikes, and Radical Politics in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The riot is positioned by some contemporary Left theorists and activists as the harbinger of a future emancipatory politics. This view has emerged in a period of political transition in which traditional modes of Left organisation are routinely dismissed as ineffective. This paper examines the history of the riot in Aotearoa New Zealand, seeking to understand what role, if any, the riot might play in this country’s future.