City of Quartz offers a critical history of Los Angeles, tracing how urban development has been shaped by powerful coalitions of business elites, real estate interests, and political actors. Drawing on a Marxist approach, Davis foregrounds the role of capitalism in structuring the urban economy and urban politics, showing how processes of accumulation, exclusion, and spatial control are deeply intertwined. The book famously examines themes such as the militarization of public space, socio-spatial inequality, and the fragmentation of the city along class and racial lines. Its influence in urban studies stems from its bold synthesis of political economy, cultural analysis, and historical narrative, as well as its willingness to challenge dominant, often celebratory accounts of urban growth.

Over the course of summer 2026 (June, August, September), participants will read the chapters and come together for structured discussions. These sessions will create space to unpack Davis’s arguments on power, inequality, spatial segregation, and the political economy of cities, while also reflecting on how these dynamics resonate in present-day urban contexts such as Amsterdam and beyond.

The reading group is designed to be dialogical and interdisciplinary. Rather than treating the text as authoritative, we encourage participants to critically engage with its assumptions, methods, and claims. How does Davis’s portrayal of Los Angeles speak to current debates on urban governance, gentrification, securitization, and infrastructural inequality? Where does the analysis travel well, and where does it require revision?.

In addition to deepening theoretical grounding, the group aims to strengthen analytical and interpretive skills, foster intellectual community, and connect individual research projects to broader debates in urban studies. Participants are invited to occasionally bring in short reflections linking the readings to their own work.

More information about Mike Davis and City of Quartz

• Mike Davis, ‘City of Quartz’ author who chronicled the forces that shaped L.A., dies (LA TImes)
• Excavating a Future Vision Past: Mike Davis’ City of Quartz (William Blick)

More information about MALIB

MALIB, the Maluku Library, is a new Moluccan library in Amsterdam as a space for research, encounter, and knowledge exchange. Built on a significant collection, including materials from the Museum Maluku, it aims to make Moluccan history and culture widely accessible. Beyond books, MALIB foregrounds oral traditions, creating space for stories, memories, and intergenerational knowledge sharing. Inspired by the principle of pela, emphasizing mutual care and solidarity, MALIB seeks to foster connection across communities and offer an inclusive place for reflection, dialogue, and learning in the city.