Foreground Manoeuvres

This essay investigates how the “foreground” of late capitalism—defined by ubiquitous automation, productivity triumphalism, and competitive edges—both shapes and erases social landscapes. Through a two‑act framework, Raqs first analyses the seismic shifts in the dispersal and connections in the
production process and technology deployment. The second act examines the “production of residue”: which expressed itself with a wearing—and tearing—down of the histories and densities of peoples and places.

Text by Raqs, Published in ‘Critical Times: Interventions in Global Critical Theory, Critical Times’, 2018