ABSTRACT
Originating in the UK and US, the term “left behind places” is being used more widely to describe the political economy of geographical inequalities. In this chapter, the authors unpack the key terms of the debate and explore the relationship between “left behindness” and the role played by deficiencies in social infrastructure as a prelude to our study of Sacriston. A discourse on “left behind” places began to appear in politics and the media, especially after 2016, in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump as US President and the Brexit referendum in the UK. It has gained wider currency since then, especially in political discourse, as a shorthand for widening geographical inequalities and associated political polarisation, following the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Social infrastructure may take a range of forms, but its purpose is to provide opportunities for gathering.
