
What Happened in Georgia? On Suburbs and Other Anthropological Blind Spots
On January 6, 2021, as a mob of white Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, voters in Georgia inaugurated a new era by delivering a key victory for Biden and the Democratic Party. While confirming the status of Georgia as a new battleground state, the elections also revealed that this battle is increasingly being fought in the suburbs, particularly in once-Republican, majority-white communities now home to growing numbers of Black, Asian, and Latinx residents. What have we done, as anthropologists, to understand these places and their growing social and political polarization? Here, Elisa Lanari takes a look at the insurgent publics and resurgent white politics of suburban Atlanta by reflecting on ongoing transformations in her fieldsite of Sandy Springs, Georgia.