JOURNAL ARTICLE

'It's a riot': Reading infrastructure in Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis.

  • Published In: Journal of Urban Cultural Studies, 2025, v. 12, n. 2. P. 281 1 of 3

  • Database: Sociology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Soules, Kate A. 3 of 3

Abstract

This article focuses on the depiction of the riot scene in Don DeLillo's novella *Cosmopolis*, analyzing it through the lens of material infrastructure rather than metaphor or cybercapitalism critique. Drawing on Nicole Starosielski’s work on undersea cables and Swati Chattopadhyay’s theorization of street space as sites of habitation, the article argues that the protest unfolds through the disruption and repurposing of physical and cyber infrastructure in urban space. The analysis highlights how the riot transforms streets and technological systems into performative, political arenas, revealing the intertwined materiality of urban networks and capitalist power structures. This approach offers new vocabularies for understanding the relationship between narrative, architecture, and infrastructure in contemporary literature.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of Urban Cultural Studies. 2025/10, Vol. 12, Issue 2, p281
  • Document Type:Literary Criticism
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:2050-9790
  • DOI:10.1386/jucs_00106_1
  • Accession Number:189737047
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