Birmingham (UK): Constructing city spaces through Black popular cultures and the Black public sphere

Drawing on qualitative research undertaken in the city of Birmingham, Britain's second city in terms of geographical size and with the largest number of Black people outside of London, this article engages with Black popular cultures and the Black public sphere. The author argues that paying attention to Black public life in the urban centres of Britain provides cues and signs of the importance of popular cultural activity generated by Black Britons and at the same time reveals a remaking of contemporary urban landscapes.