The Squatting Movement(s) in Paris: Internal Divides and Conditions for Survival

Abstract

The history of squatting in Paris is animated by a conflict between the autonomous and the institutionalised wings of the squatting movement, mainly between artists, autonomous and housing activists. This conflict opposes diverse groups of squatters who get unequal resources, who differ on their practical and intellectual conception of squatting, on their internal organisation, on their goals, and their attitudes towards public authorities. This chapter shows how the internal divides of the squatting movement in Paris have fluctuated through different cycles of mobilisation. Aguilera supplements this analysis with a specific focus on the uses of the squatted spaces and the relationships between squatters and authorities.