How did radical and militant activism change cities in the 1980s?
Although occupations and squatters actions trace their origins to the 1960s youth revolt, squatter activism regained momentum in the 1980s in Western Europe. But while many activists in the 1960s were inspired by non-violence and flower-power, the squatters of the 1980s took a more militant approach.
The result was intense confrontations between police and squatters, but also policy change. For squatters showed just how problematic housing shortage and stagnated urban renewal had become. How did squatter activism change cities in the 1980s? And what dynamics were set in motion by their militancy?
Our edited volume, The City is Ours, provides an overview of the history of squatter and autonomous movements in eight European cities. In our introduction, we provide a historical overview and discuss the history-writing about squatting in Europe.
The history of squatting during the 1980s can be approached from various angles. In Die internationalen Verbindungen der Hausbesetzerbewegung in den 70er und 80er Jahren, I reconstructed the networks of squatters. I analyzed the relationship between politics and subculture in The Paradoxical Place of Politics within the Squatter Movement. I noted the squatters’ sense of humor in: A gilded crowbar for the bailiff.
You can find an overview of all my research publications on this website.
