Urban Squats as Eco-Social Resistance to and Resilience in the Face of Capitalist Relations: Case Studies from Barcelona and Rome


Abstract


This article analyses continuities and discontinuities across time in Italy in the use of direct social actions, defined as forms of action that focus upon directly transforming some specific aspects of society by means of the very action itself, instead of claiming something from the state or other power holders. In doing this, this article offers two main illustrative hypotheses. First, that direct social actions represent a significant part of the repertoire of contention - at least in Italy - and that while they tend to be less visible than protest actions, they should still not be overlooked and treated like something “new” every time they resurface. Second, this article claims that the socio-economic context plays an important role in influencing the extended use of DSAs: if the supply of these forms of action by political actors is constant across time, what changes is the demand, that in times of economic hardship tends to characterise a broader constituency. We conclude by suggesting empirical methods to verify the hypothe-ses proposed, paving the way for future research on this topic.

DOI Code: 10.1285/i20356609v8i2p343

Keywords: direct social action; resilience; repertoires of contention; anti-austerity protest; economic crises; Italy

References


Ajmone-Marsan F. and M. Biasioli (2010), “Trace elements in soils of urban areas” Wa-ter Air and Soil Pollution, 213: 121–143, doi: 10.1007/s11270-010-0372-6

Alberti M., and Marzluff J. M. (2004), “Ecological resilience in urban ecosystems: link-ing urban patterns to human and ecological functions”, Urban Ecosystems, 7(3): 241–265, doi: 10.1023/B:UECO.0000044038.90173.c6

Bennholdt-Thomsen V., and M. Mies (1999), The Subsistence Perspective. Beyond the Globalised Economy, London: Zed Books.

Bryant B., and J. Callewaert (2003), “Why is understanding urban ecosystems im-portant to people concerned about environmental justice?” in A.R. Berkowitz, C.H. Nilon, and K.S. Hollweg (eds), Understanding Urban Ecosystems, New York: Springer, pp. 46-57.

Bullard R.D. (ed., 2005), The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution, San Francisco: Sierra Club.

Carlsson C. (2008), Nowtopia! How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today!, Oakland: AK Press.

Carlsson C., and Manning F. (2010), “Nowtopia: strategic exodus?”, Antipode, 42(4): 924–953, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00782.x

Cattaneo C. (2008), The Ecological Economics of Urban Squatters, Phd Thesis, UAB, Barcelona.

Cattaneo C. (2011), “The money-free autonomy of Spanish squatters”, in A. Nelson and F. Timmerman (eds.), Life without Money: Building Fair and Sustainable Econo-mies, London: Pluto Press, pp. 192-213.

Cattaneo C., and M. Gavaldà (2010), “The experience of rurban squats in Collserola, Barcelona: what kind of degrowth?”, Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(6): 581–589, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.01.010

Cioni L. (2012), Orti-Culture. Riflessioni Antropologiche sull’Orticultura Urbana, Thesis, University of Bologna. Retrieved 5 May, 2015: (http://trameurbane.noblogs.org/files/2011/09/orti-culture.pdf).

Cronon W. (1991), Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West, New York: Nor-ton.

Dadusc D., and E.T.C. Dee (2014), “The criminalziation of squatting. Discourses, oral panics and resistances in The Netherlands, England and Wales”, in L.F. O’Mahoney, D. O’Mahony, and R. Hickey (eds.), Moral Rhetoric and the Criminalisation of Squatting. Vulnerable Demons?, London: Routledge, pp. 109-132.

D'Alisa G., F. Demria, and C. Cattaneo (2014), “Civil and uncivil actors for a degrowth society”, Journal of Civil Society, 9: 212-224, doi: 10.1080/17448689.2013.788935

Detwyler T.R., and M.G. Marcus (1972), Urbanization and Environment. Belmont: Duxbury Press.

Diez i Quijano D. (2003), Les Masies de Horta. Barcelona: El Tinter.

Dijkstra L., and H. Poelman, H. (2012), Cities in Europe. The New OECD-EC Definition. Development. Retrieved 5 May:

(http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/focus/2012_01_city.pdf).

Domene E., and Sauri, D. (2007), “Urbanization and class-produced natures: vegetable gardens in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region”, Geoforum, 38(2): 287–98, doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.03.004

Engel-Di Mauro S. (2012), “Urban farming: The right to what sort of city?” Capitalism Nature Socialism, 23(4): 1–9, doi: 10.1080/10455752.2012.724776

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (2010), Growing Greener Cities. Retrieved 5 May 2015:

(http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/greenercities/pdf/GGC-en.pdf).

Formisani E. (2011), “Ai cantieri verdi basta una zappata”, Nuovo Paese Sera, 1(2-3): 16-18.

Guzman-Concha C. (2015), “Radical social movements in Western Europe: A configurational analysis”, Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest, doi: 10.1080/14742837.2014.998644

Harding S.G. (ed., 2009), The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies, New York: Routledge.

Heynen N., M. Kaika, and E. Swyngedouw (eds., 2006), In the Nature of Cities: Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism, London: Routledge.

La Radio Ne Parla. 2014. “Pedalante Massa Critica!”, Rai Radio 1, 30 May. Retrieved 5 May, 2015 (http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-e391ecaf-4a44-476c-9ea0-f33a006f83af-radio1.html#p=9).Lefebvre H. (1968 [2009]), Le Droit à la Ville. Paris: Economica.

Lichtfouse E. (2010), “Society issues, painkiller solutions, dependence and sustainable agriculture”, in E. Lichfouse (ed.), Sociology, Organic Farming, Climate Change and Soil Science, Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 1-18.

Lorenzi E. (2010), “Centro social en movimiento. Los talleres de autoreparación de bicicletas en espacios autogestionados”, in M.

Domínguez, M. A. Martínez, and E. Lorenzi (eds.), Okupaciones en Movimiento: Derivas, Estrategias y Prácticas, Madrid: Tieradenadies Ediciones, pp. 133-187.

Martínez M.A. (2012), “The squatters’ movement in Europe: a durable struggle for social autonomy in urban politics”, Antipode, 45(4): 866.887, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2012.01060.x

Martínez-Alier J., and J. Roca (2001), Economía Ecológica y Polític Ambiental. Madrid: S.L. Fondo de Cultura Económica de España.

McKaye J. (2014), “Rome’s rebel lake is a parable of the contemporary commons”, openDemocracy. Retrieved 5 May, 2015 (https://www.opendemocracy.net/jamie-mackay/rome%E2%80%99s-rebel-lake-is-parable-of-contemporary-commons)

Mudu P. (2004), “Challenging Neoliberalism. The Development of Italian Social Cen-tres”, Antipode, 36(5): 917-941. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2004.00461.x

Nelson A., and F. Timmerman (2011), “Use Value and Non-Market Socialism”, in A. Nelson and F. Timmerman (eds.), Life without Money. Building Fair and Sustainable Economies. London: Pluto Press, pp. 1-20.

Pinto B., A. Pasqualotto, and L. Levidow (2010), “Community supported urban agricul-ture: The Orti Solidali Project in Rome”, Urban Agriculture Magazine 24: 58-60. Re-trieved 5 May, 2015

(http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/UA%20Magazine%2024%20sept2010web%2058-60.pdf).

Pickett S.T.A., L.E. Band, K.E. Belt, C.G. Boone, M.L. Cadenasso, P.M. Groffman, J.M. Grove, C.H. Nilon, E. Irwin, S. Kaushal, V. Marshall, B.P. McGrath, R.V. Pouyat, K. Szlavecz, A. Troy, and

P.S. Warren (2010), “Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress”, Journal of Environmental Management, 92, 331–62, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.022

Pruijt H. (2012), “The Logic of urban squatting”, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 37 (1): 19-45, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01116.x

Salleh A. (ed., 2009), Eco-Sufficiency and Global Justice: Women Write Political Ecology, London: Pluto Press.

Smith N. (1984), Uneven Development: Nature, Capital, and the Production of Space, Oxford: Blackwell.

Squatting Europe Kollective (eds., 2013), Squatting in Europe. Radical Spaces, Urban Spaces, New York: Minor Compositions.

Squatting Europe Kollective (eds., 2014), The Squatters’ Movement in Europe. Everyday Commons and Autonomy as Alternatives to Capitalism, London: Pluto Press.

Swyngedouw E. (2009), “The antinomies of the post-political city: in search of a demo-cratic politics of environmental production”, International Journal of Urban and Re-gional Research, 33: 601–620, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2009.00859.x


Full Text: PDF

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.
کاغذ a4
Bookmark and Share


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 3.0 Italia License.