Class atomization and the possibilities of collective anger

In this short article, theatre artist Hassan Mahamdallie offers a reflection on the state of the UK theatre industry for working-class artists, tracing his experiences of the alternative theatre scene from the late twentieth century to now. He argues that the shift towards neo-liberalism in the arts and culture more widely has resulted in a cultural landscape where closed off identity politics has replaced class-consciousness. As a result, modes of collective working have been replaced with more individualized forms and processes. Although academic theorization of identity politics is implicated as a feature of the neo-liberal shift towards individualism, Mahamdallie proposes that academic work might usefully recuperate working-class theatre history, providing ‘grand narratives’ in which the working class can recognize their collective nature and the possibilities for solidarity.