Overview

The Autonomous Life? is an ethnography of the squatters' movement in Amsterdam written by an anthropologist who lived and worked in a squatters' community for 3.5 years. She resided as a squatter in 4 different houses, worked on 2 successful anti-gentrification campaigns, was evicted from 2 houses, and was jailed once. With this unique perspective, Kadir focuses on how people in this overtly anarchist movement constantly disavow while silently maintain hierarchy and authority. Specific squatter skills and particular performances of hostility are classified as squatter capital. Kadir systematically examines the contradiction between what people say and what they practice in a highly ideological radical left community Kadir's observations are directly born out of an intense ethnographic and personal encounter with the world of the squatters which sharply contrasts with social movement studies, which has primarily been written from the disciplinary perspectives of political science and sociology and has ignored micro-dynamics. Using a unique critical perspective informed by gender and subaltern studies, Kadir contributes to social movements literature through a meticulous analysis of micro-social dynamics of power in the internal dynamic of the squatters movement.

Full Product Details

Author:   Nazima Kadir
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic USA
Weight:   0.457kg
ISBN:  

9781628924992

ISBN 10:   1628924993
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   05 November 2015
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

List of Images Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The Autonomous Life? Historical context of the squatters movement in Amsterdam Social Movements Literature Review Ethnographies of social movements Methodology Chapter Summaries Chapter 1: Squatter Capital Squatter Capital How to be an Authentic Squatter Conclusion Chapter 2: The habitus of emotional sovereignty Cultural marginality and centrality The constitutive practice of gossip Emotional dependence and the absence of authority Conclusion Chapter 3: Showing Commitment and Emotional Management Squatting a house as the constitutive act of authority making Living groups and Showing Commitment The consequences of no authority Conclusion Chapter 4: Liminal Adolescence or Entrapping Marginality? The movement as a period of adolescence and the 'militant for life' as a marginal old man The Womb Activist careers in the movement The scripted path to autonomy and self-realization Conclusion Conclusion: The economy of unromantic solidarity Glossary Bibliography Index

Reviews

Contemporary Anarchist Studies is an impressive and much needed series. It brings together first-rate scholarly work on the history and theory of anarchism, connects theory and practice, and clarifies the claim of the anarchist tradition to urgent contemporary relevance. With all titles available under a Creative Commons license, the series is itself an example of anarchy in action. Professor Stuart White, Oxford University, author of Equality (2006)

Author Information

Author Website:   n.kadir@gmx.com

Nazima Kadir is an urban anthropologist. The Autonomous Life inspired a sitcom that was broadcast on Dutch TV, has toured the art world, and can be viewed online.

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Author Website:   n.kadir@gmx.com

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