New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles -- for all their differences, they are quintessentially American cities. They are also among the handful of cities on the earth that can be called "global". Janet L. Abu-Lughod's book is the first to compare them in an ambitious in-depth study that takes into account each city's unique history, following their development from their earliest days to their current status as players on the global stage.

Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles weaves together historical narratives of major riots with the changing contexts in which they have occurred to show how urban space, politics, and economic conditions - not simply an abstract "race conflict" - all structure the form and virulence of urban rebellions. Comparing six major race riots that occurred in the three largest American metropolitan centers, Abu-Lughod draws upon archival research, primary and secondary sources, and field work to reconstruct events - especially for the 1964 Harlem riot and Chicago's 1968 riots where no single study currently exists.

Capturing much of what is new and vibrant in urban studies today, "New York and Los Angeles" should prove to be valuable reading for scholars in that field, as well as in sociology, political science and government.

Reexamining urban scholarship for the twenty-first century.

"This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition The City Lost and Found: Capturing New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, 1960-1980. The Art Institute of Chicago, October 26, 2014-January 11, 2015; Princeton University Art Museum, February 21-June 7, 2015"--Colophon.