On Friday 24 May, PhD Student Mathilde Martin defended her thesis “Mattering at the periphery – Geographies of peri-urban life and its discontents.”
Curious about Mathilde’s thesis? Here’s what it’s all about:
Amid rising social discontent in the peripheries of Western European democracies, this thesis offers an exploration of “places that don't matter” through the lens of the French Yellow Vests. Through a Lefebvrian critical phenomenological approach, it presents an ethnographic study of the experiences, challenges, and collective resistance of those living in the shadows of urban prosperity, and whose grievances highlight socio-spatial inequalities. It presents peri-urban life as marked by limited opportunities for encounters and pervasive experiences of isolation. Yet, a narrative of contestation and transformation emerges as these communities endeavour to reshape their own daily lives through everyday politics and solidarity. Beyond academic scholarship, this thesis attempts to portray some lived realities “from below” often unseen by political narratives. It is an essential read for those seeking deeper understanding of European geographies of discontent and for anyone invested in thinking a future where peripheries matter.
Faculty opponent: Lasse Martin Koefoed (Roskilde University, Denmark.)
The committee members were: Maja de Neergaard (Roskilde University), Madeleine Eriksson (Umeå University), and Anders Lund Hansen (KEG)