Mike Davis, Influential Marxist Thinker and Urbanist, Dies at 76

Mike Davis, a notable Marxist thinker, died at the age of 76. His influential contributions to critical urbanism, geography, and ecology critiqued capitalist principles, particularly in his 1990 book 'City of Quartz,' which examined spatial apartheid in Los Angeles. Raised in a working-class household in southern California, his political views were influenced by labor movements and the US Communist Party. In the 1980s, he served as editor for New Left Review but had disagreements with its leadership. His 2007 publication, 'Buda's Wagon,' explored the role of car bombs in asymmetric warfare. In 'Planet of Slums' (2005), he connected capitalism to urban poverty, while 'Late Victorian Holocausts' (2000) portrayed famines as political disasters. Davis championed radical optimism and solidarity with those affected by US imperialism.