The Geopolitics of Spectacle

Why do autocrats build spectacular new capital cities? In The Geopolitics of Spectacle, Natalie Koch considers how autocratic rulers use "spectacular" projects to shape state-society relations, but rather than focus on the standard approach—on the project itself—she considers the unspectacular "others." The contrasting views of those from the poorest regions toward these new national capitals help her develop a geographic approach to spectacle.

Koch uses Astana in Kazakhstan to exemplify her argument, comparing that spectacular city with others from resource-rich, nondemocratic nations in central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southeast Asia. The Geopolitics of Spectacle draws new political-geographic lessons and shows that these spectacles can be understood only from multiple viewpoints, sites, and temporalities. Koch explicitly theorizes spectacle geographically and in so doing extends the analysis of governmentality into new empirical and theoretical terrain.

With cases ranging from Azerbaijan to Qatar and Myanmar, and an intriguing account of reactions to the new capital of Astana from the poverty-stricken Aral Sea region of Kazakhstan, Koch's book provides food for thought for readers in human geography, anthropology, sociology, urban studies, political science, international affairs, and post-Soviet and central Asian studies.

Natalie Koch is Associate Professor of Geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. She has published numerous articles in journals such as Political Geography, Central Asian Survey, IJMES, and Geoforum.

[The Geopolitics of Spectacle] provide[s] critical accounts of Astana as a symbol of Kazakhstan's modernity and use[s] the experience of people who work in and outside Astana to substantiate that critique.

In essence, the work scores on account of being novel both in theme and approach. Its objectives are clearly defined and the author has been successful in meeting these. The treatise is thoughtfully conceived, soundly researched, well-argued and lucidly expressed. More important, it looks beyond established stereotypes and includes voices from the margins, not just in the choice of case studies but within the case studies as well. The work locates itself at a research frontier and deserves to be commended equally for its perspective, approach, and methodology.

Koch's book provides a refreshingly concrete theoretical framework for understanding spectacle in a non-Western, non-democratic context... The book is further innovative in its methodological approach, which directly tackles the shortcomings of conventional area-based analyses fixated on commonalities across case studies, rather than their divergences. By making a case for divergent-case comparisons, Koch is able to break away from the all-too-often default comparison of Central Asia with its former Soviet counterparts, a comparison that may not always be the most relevant. By widening our understanding of suitable cases for comparison, the book opens new channels for framing Central Asian research in other disciplines.

The Geopolitics of Spectacle is an essential contribution to multidisciplinary fields that deal with global dynamics of urbanization, authoritarianism in urban politics, nation-building and identity politics, and the geographies of megaprojects. A work that is essential for the researcher, it is also highly readable, concise, and timely; an ideal text for graduate and undergraduate courses.

The Geopolitics of Spectacle is an interesting piece or writing, in itself a detournement through difficult to access spaces and places, as well as its more shiny and dramatic foci. Well structured and with a strong narrative drive, the reader will certainly consider boarding train 84 for that long ride from Kazanski station to Astana Nurly Jol... This reviewer will certainly pay this book a second visit.

While theoretically rich, Geopolitics of Spectacle is at the same time written in a skilful and accessible way. It is an important contribution to the fields of human geography, political studies and anthropology. Koch's monograph is an inspiring work, worth recommending to scholars interested in a wide range of topics: from urban studies, broadly defined post-Soviet studies or area studies to governmentality and citizenship.

Provides [a] compelling vision of what urban practices can do politically. [Koch] brings years of fieldwork experience and regional expertise that make the book [a] strong contribution to... political geography as well as urban studies more broadly. [Her] theoretical findings are deployable in contexts beyond Asia and MENA and [is] a welcome addition to the growing political geographic literature on urbanization.

A thoughtful study in political geography.

With its accessible writing style and lively anecdotal interludes, The Geopolitics of Spectacle invites critical thinking about the often alluded to, yet seldom critically assessed, discourse of the 'theatrical' or 'false modernity' of Asian cities in popular Western media. Reading Koch's book will therefore not only teach us much about political geography, but will also train us to overcome 'intellectual laziness' and become critically informed spectators of some of the world's fastest emerging cities.

Eric Max McGlinchey, Associate Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University:

Natalie Koch's The Geopolitics of Spectacle is a significant contribution to our understanding of autocratic rule. Koch's book explodes the democratic-authoritarian binary and demonstrates the wide variations that exist not only among autocratic states, but also among autocratic states that build spectacular cities.

Alexander C. Diener, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Kansas:

The Geopolitics of Spectacle is extremely rich and thought provoking. Natalie Koch has woven together complex theories and deep case studies to reveal something genuinely fresh with regard to the notion of urban spectacle, authoritarian governance, and behaviors/technologies uncommonly acknowledged to exist across the political spectrum. Koch's book is a major contribution on several fronts, including within the fields of urban studies, urbanism, architecture and design, political geography, international relations, geopolitics, cultural studies, and social geography.