The Aftermath of the 2011 London Riots in Relation to the 'Tipping Point': How Big Disturbances Can Make Little Difference

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research with community members and local government officials, this paper examines the social conditions in the London borough of Haringey, exactly one year after the 2011 London Riots. Taking into consideration the occurrence of the 2012 Olympic Games in Haringey’s neighboring borough, Hackney, the paper explores the social grievances that reportedly caused the 2011 riots, including police tensions and youth disengagement, as well as their transformations. The nature and sustainability of social unrests will also be unraveled based on Malcolm Gladwell’s idea of the ‘tipping point.’ By applying the ‘tipping point’ to the 2011 riots, this paper will compare the conditions that existed leading up to the 2011 riots with the conditions in 2012, and explain why further unrest did not escalate a year later, despite the signs and reports pointing to a repeat disturbance.