The recent austerity crisis in Europe has given rise to stronger and more populous movements demanding re-municipalisation or re-commoning of water resources. These movements differ from past attempts to re-commoning and re-municipalising water in two important ways:
First, the geographical scope of these grassroots movements ranges from intra-Europan (e.g. the European Citizens’ initiative for the right to water), to local initiatives (e.g. the SOSte to nero, and 136 movement against the privatisation of the water company of Thessaloniki, Greece).
Second, the Actors involved in these movements under austerity conditions consist of social groups and organizations who were previously considered to be neither ‘revolutionary’ nor ‘militant’, and certainly not ‘radical’ or ‘innovative’ in their outlook philosophy and praxis. These emerging actors who start thinking ‘outside the box’ and acting ‘out of their traditional role and character’ include trade union members, home carers (particularly women), adolescents, and pensioners.
The project will pay particular attention to these actors who were ignored in previous research, but take up central roles under conditions of austerity in initiating fresh ways of thinking about managing ‘the commons’. The project will assess the role they play in building alliances across segments of the society, and internationally, for reclaiming the commons through a new process of subjectivisation at different ‘out of their traditional role and character’ include trade union members, home carers (particularly women), adolescents, and pensioners.
The project will pay particular attention to these actors who were ignored in previous research, but take up central roles under conditions of austerity in initiating fresh ways of thinking about managing ‘the commons’. The project will assess the role they play in building alliances across segments of the society, and internationally, for reclaiming the commons through a new process of subjectivisation at different geographical scales and social contexts.