Phil Cohen 1943-2024 Professor Phil Cohen, radical activist, cultural theorist, memoirist, poet and urban ethnographer, has died aged 81. ‘When I first met Phil Cohen,’ recalls Dr Toby Butler, ‘he was professor of Cultural Studies at the University of East London. Fizzing with ideas, he drew together an astonishing array of artists, academics and policy … [Read more...] about Phil Cohen Obituary
Phil's Blog
WRITING BEHIND THE LINE
This is the Preface to Waypoints Volume 2 : Studies in the Grey Zone , a collection of new work to be published by eyeglass books in September 2024 PREFACE: Writing behind the lines The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways … [Read more...] about WRITING BEHIND THE LINE
In Praise of the Heimlich Manoeuvre
Text of speech given at Wivenhoe House on June 3rd 2023, on the occasion of my 80th birthday. Reasons to be Cheerful : that so many people managed to actually get here despite no trains, traffic jams and all the other impediments to everyday life . Reason not to be so cheerful: we had to cancel the band and the big birthday bash due to the strikes . So I am … [Read more...] about In Praise of the Heimlich Manoeuvre
UNEASY LIES THE HEAD : ON LOSING THE ROYAL TOUCH NOW AND THEN
Note: This is a revised and updated text of an article originally published in Livingmaps Review and posted online in 2021. It is due to appear in a new collection of occasional piece Waypoints Volume 2 : Studies in the Grey Zone, to be published by eyeglass books in the Autumn of 2023. How do you map a monarchy? Depict the location of its palaces and other … [Read more...] about UNEASY LIES THE HEAD : ON LOSING THE ROYAL TOUCH NOW AND THEN
ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE
This text is an introduction to Waypoints Volume 2 , a new collection of occasional writings from the last five years due to be published in the Autumn by eyeglass books. INTRODUCTION : ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE Taking sides On the day I am writing this the following happened : I heard that a friend of mine , a life long smoker, had been diagnosed with … [Read more...] about ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE