Shifting Socio-Spatial Contexts and the Space of Social Movements: Squatting in Seville

Abstract

Research on the squatters’ movement has focused preferentially on agency, forms of organisation and the legal implications, while its historical dimension and the spatial contexts have not been examined sufficiently. This chapter aims at solving this deficit by conceiving the urban space as mediation between squatters’ practices and broader economic, political and social processes. Hence, the development of urban squatting depends on specific socio-spatial conditions in each city or metropolitan region. The authors of this chapter analyse all the cases of squatting in the city of Seville (Spain) from the 1970s onwards and interpret their contextual circumstances. In particular, they explain how shifting socio-spatial structures in the city of Seville influenced the effective location of squats and the urban strategies adopted by squatters.