The rise of the commons, cultural spaces and policy in Southern Europe: why did this happen and why do we care?

Abstract

Having long symbolised the inefficiency of shared ownership, the commons are re-emerging as an effective principle of social and cultural struggle against neoliberalism. The commons are also at the core of an interdisciplinary academic debate that has found important applications in the context of urban studies and cultural policy studies. In this paper, we analyse the origins of the spread of commons vocabulary and practice in community-run cultural spaces in Naples, Marseille and Athens and discuss their relationship with policy. We identify three different policy attitudes towards the commons: conflict and dialogue, multiple avenues for policy co-development, and indifference that reveal fundamental issues related to the relationship between the commons and state authorities, such as agonism, co-optation and mutual avoidance. By engaging with the concept of ‘new municipalism’ and potential partnerships between the commons and the state, we suggest that a pathway based on mutual trust, independence and adopting a cultural rights approach can enable new collaborations between policymakers and activists.