This paper examines the case study of South Central Farm in Los Angeles, and the contestation ove... more This paper examines the case study of South Central Farm in Los Angeles, and the contestation over what Henri Lefebvre called the “Right to the City”. Examining the case study in its context of widespread political, economic and judicial corruption, the paper questions why only a Neoliberal approach to urban gardens is considered legitimate in urban planning. It further interrogates this situation by applying Steven Lukes’ three levels of power, and thus attempts to understand the abuse of power in this situation. By building on Karl Marx’s work on use and exchange value, the paper argues that pure exchange (monetary) value of land cannot be considered outside of the social, cultural and citizen use value of that land. The author utilizes Sharon Zukin’s work, as well as other studies to bring use and exchange values back into a dialectic, and argue that the use value of the garden is actually far more financially profitable than the pure sale price of the land.
The German Autonomists are a radical political movement, engaged in the occupation of urban space... more The German Autonomists are a radical political movement, engaged in the occupation of urban spaces and the construction of distinct sites of counterculture and political resistance. This article examines the case study of Hamburg's Rote Flora as an example of Autonomist 'sacred space'. It defines the concept of sacredness as the attempt to create a 'pure', 'wholly other', and 'non-negotiable' space kept strictly uncontaminated by 'profane' capitalist society. The 'sacred space' of the Rote Flora is occupied by subjects engaged in the practice of 'Selbstbestimmtheit', in order to form themselves as 'wholly other' autonomous subjects. This practice of self-formation is interpreted as comparable to the askēsis of pre-scholastic monks, who create segregated societies in which to form themselves via daily self-scrutiny and techniques of the self (tekhnē), away from profane concerns. Relying on 32 oral histories with members of the Autonomist movement, the article traces their concerns with purity of identity, space, and language. As a point of comparison, this article offers a new interpretation of Michel Foucault's idea of askēsis, or the formation of the self, between 1979-1984. This indicates a historical shift in the history of radical protest movements away from revolutionary vanguards or ideology and towards the creation of the self in radically pure, sacred spaces.
'Militanz' as moralised political violence has been applied by the radical Left since the 1960s,... more 'Militanz' as moralised political violence has been applied by the radical Left since the 1960s, but has scarcely been defined in academic literature. In the particular West German context, 'Militanz' has been restricted to attacks against objects rather than persons, in contradistinction to the terrorist attacks of the 1970s. The Autonomist movement has further theorised this concept through the caveat of the 'three Antis' (Racism, Sexism, Capitalism), against which they consider their violence to be morally justified. This article offers a genealogy and definition of this 1990s Autonomist 'Militanz' by relying on extensive archival research and oral histories collected within the Hamburg Rote Flora Autonomist milieu. It then interrogates both this concept and the group's claims to moral authority by working within the Autonomists' own conceptual definition to apply 'Militanz' categorically to a riot during the 2017 G20 summit. The article untangles the various ideological factions who took part in this riot, and challenges media discourses that the Rote Flora Autonomists were responsible. However, it also concludes that 'Militanz' as a purely 'Anti' stance cannot legitimate moralised violence without offering any affirmative definition of appropriate political action, lest all violence become acceptable 'Militanz'.
This paper examines the case study of South Central Farm in Los Angeles, and the contestation ove... more This paper examines the case study of South Central Farm in Los Angeles, and the contestation over what Henri Lefebvre called the “Right to the City”. Examining the case study in its context of widespread political, economic and judicial corruption, the paper questions why only a Neoliberal approach to urban gardens is considered legitimate in urban planning. It further interrogates this situation by applying Steven Lukes’ three levels of power, and thus attempts to understand the abuse of power in this situation. By building on Karl Marx’s work on use and exchange value, the paper argues that pure exchange (monetary) value of land cannot be considered outside of the social, cultural and citizen use value of that land. The author utilizes Sharon Zukin’s work, as well as other studies to bring use and exchange values back into a dialectic, and argue that the use value of the garden is actually far more financially profitable than the pure sale price of the land.
The German Autonomists are a radical political movement, engaged in the occupation of urban space... more The German Autonomists are a radical political movement, engaged in the occupation of urban spaces and the construction of distinct sites of counterculture and political resistance. This article examines the case study of Hamburg's Rote Flora as an example of Autonomist 'sacred space'. It defines the concept of sacredness as the attempt to create a 'pure', 'wholly other', and 'non-negotiable' space kept strictly uncontaminated by 'profane' capitalist society. The 'sacred space' of the Rote Flora is occupied by subjects engaged in the practice of 'Selbstbestimmtheit', in order to form themselves as 'wholly other' autonomous subjects. This practice of self-formation is interpreted as comparable to the askēsis of pre-scholastic monks, who create segregated societies in which to form themselves via daily self-scrutiny and techniques of the self (tekhnē), away from profane concerns. Relying on 32 oral histories with members of the Autonomist movement, the article traces their concerns with purity of identity, space, and language. As a point of comparison, this article offers a new interpretation of Michel Foucault's idea of askēsis, or the formation of the self, between 1979-1984. This indicates a historical shift in the history of radical protest movements away from revolutionary vanguards or ideology and towards the creation of the self in radically pure, sacred spaces.
'Militanz' as moralised political violence has been applied by the radical Left since the 1960s,... more 'Militanz' as moralised political violence has been applied by the radical Left since the 1960s, but has scarcely been defined in academic literature. In the particular West German context, 'Militanz' has been restricted to attacks against objects rather than persons, in contradistinction to the terrorist attacks of the 1970s. The Autonomist movement has further theorised this concept through the caveat of the 'three Antis' (Racism, Sexism, Capitalism), against which they consider their violence to be morally justified. This article offers a genealogy and definition of this 1990s Autonomist 'Militanz' by relying on extensive archival research and oral histories collected within the Hamburg Rote Flora Autonomist milieu. It then interrogates both this concept and the group's claims to moral authority by working within the Autonomists' own conceptual definition to apply 'Militanz' categorically to a riot during the 2017 G20 summit. The article untangles the various ideological factions who took part in this riot, and challenges media discourses that the Rote Flora Autonomists were responsible. However, it also concludes that 'Militanz' as a purely 'Anti' stance cannot legitimate moralised violence without offering any affirmative definition of appropriate political action, lest all violence become acceptable 'Militanz'.
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