Dr Keir Milburn

Lecturer in Political Economy and Organisation

Contact details

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2008
Email: km256@le.ac.uk
Office: Room 610, Level 6, Ken Edwards building
Office hours: Friday 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm

Personal details

I joined the (then) School of Management in April 2011, having previously taught at the University of Leeds. I hold a PhD in Politics, an MA in Cultural Studies and a BA in Political Studies.

Research

My research takes place on the boundaries between organisational theory, political theory and cultural studies. I focus, in particular, on how organisational structures are impacted by transformation in the subjectivities, values and desires that animate them.

At the moment, this focus covers three areas:

Political generations, in particular the composition and political imaginaries of the ‘young, new socialist, left’.
Radical municipalism and ‘Public Commons Partnerships’ as transitionary policies to address our current economic and environmental crises.
The role of cultural activism, countercultural movements and cultural policy on social change.

Recent publications

Milburn, K. (2019) Generation Left, London: Polity

Milburn, K. (2019) Mind the Generation Gap, Red Pepper, 223.

Milburn, K. (2016) Divide and conquer? The politics of the generation gap, openDemocracy

Milburn, K. Russell, B. (2018) What can an institution do? Towards Public-Commons-Partnerships and a new common sense. Renewal, 26(4)

Milburn, K. (2018). The comedian as populist leader: Postironic narratives in an age of cynical irony. Leadership.

Harvie, D. Milburn, K. (2016) On the uses of fairy dust: Contagion, sorcery and the crafting of other worlds, Culture and Organization, 24:3, 179-195, DOI: 10.1080/14759551.2015.1118636

Harvie, D. Milburn, K. Watts, D. (2016) The Kids were just Crass. In Dines, M. & Worley, M. (Eds) The Aesthetic of Our Anger. Anarcho-Punk, Politics and Music. London: Minor Compositions.

Milburn, K. (2017) Acid Corbynism is a gateway drug, Red Pepper,

I am also co-host the #ACFM podcast on Novara Media.

Previous Books

The Free Association [Harvie, D., Milburn, K. and Watts, D.] (2011) Moments of Excess: Movements, Protest and Everyday Life. Oakland, C.A.: PM Press.

Harvie, D., Milburn, K. Mueller. T. Nunes, R. Osterweil, M. Summer, K. Trott, B. (Eds) (2010) What Would it Mean to Win?, Oakland, C.A.: PM Press.

Harvie, D., Milburn, K., Trott, B. and Watts, D. (Eds) (2005) Shut Them Down! The G8, Gleneagles 2005 and the Movement of Movements, Brooklyn, N.Y.: Autonomedia.

Supervision

I am interested in supervising students who share any of my research interests. Current or recent doctoral students:

Claire Deschner – ‘The performative practice of prefiguration: performance hierarchies in anarchist organising.’
Margherita Grazioli - 'The mobile commons of migrant communities'
Gareth Brown - 'Can a Knife of Shadows Cut Real Flesh from a Living Tree? The Organisation of Imaginal Commons'

Teaching

I am co-module lead on:

MN1009 Management Inquiry and Analysis – a core first year undergraduate module

I am module lead on:

MN2120 The Business Environment – a core second year undergraduate module
MN2125 Crisis Management – an optional second year undergraduate module
MN3145 Managing in a Post-Crisis World – an optional third year undergraduate module