Photograph courtesy of Gilbert Mercier. All Right Reserved.

These pages explore cultural and political understandings of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. I am interested in the ways in which the post-storm city has been understood as a laboratory for national and transnational futures – an understanding that has been used both to further neoliberal, privatizing agendas as well as opening up opportunities to re-invest in the public sphere and renew democracy. This duality is particularly interesting given New Orleans’ unique relationship to the United States – its longstanding ability to act as a kind of whistleblower in relation to national trends. Through cultural and political representations of post-Hurricane New Orleans – in film, literature, journalism, activism, etc. – this blog will explore the post-Katrina city and the commentary it offers on contemporary America.