Riprendersi la vita. Uno sguardo etnografico sui processi sociali che danno forma e caratterizzano le occupazioni abitative
ENRICO FRAVEGA
Abstract
In this review I focus on the book by Osvaldo Costantini Riprendersi la vita. Etnografia dell’Hotel Quattrostelle occupato tra bisogno e socialità, which draws on the assumption that access to housing cannot be taken for granted but depends on the complex balance between market, political regulation and social structure. Costantini's book is remarkable for its ability to shed light on the shortcomings of Italian housing policies, which are often exclusionary and racist, and the importance of self-organizing practices from below that challenge the exploitative logic of contemporary capitalism. By examining the personal histories of the squatters, the author underscores the nexus between job insecurity and exclusion from the housing market. Costantini's text also gives meaning to the concept of ‘structural humiliation’, showing how direct action restores agency and dignity to people and contributes to the development of pathways of emancipation, allowing them to regain a measure of control over their own lives.
Full Text
Download ArticleKeywords
Housing policies, urban spaces, social movements, precarity, exclusion
Pages
123-128