Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
viduals participating in a single social center, (2) clusters of social centers, (3) the
movement in its entirety, and (4) connection with other social movements and
political actors. each social center builds its distinctive identity because people
have multiple affiliations and are willing to move in order to meet others who
share their views (Consorzio aaster et al. 1996). at the same time, each indi-
vidual who temporarily joins the network and who perhaps does not identify
with just one social center, sharing only some elements of the activity and po-
litical orientation of each center, helps shape a collective practice with magmatic
borders (Consorzio aaster et al. 1996; mudu 2005). a long chain of activities and
narratives in which neoliberal policies are critically addressed and different per-
spectives are offered constitutes an important component of identity building for
each social center. These issues include topics such as globalization, racism, war,
Chiapas, palestine, minority rights, genetically modified foods, prisoners' rights,
copyright laws, the legalization of marijuana, and artistic noncommercial per-
formances. initiatives in which different social centers join together are mostly
connected to organizing and participating in demonstrations, and their focus
has constantly changed over the years.
furthermore, during the last twenty years, social centers have started re-
ceiving and working with rising numbers of foreign immigrants, particularly in
Rome. in italy, they have vehemently opposed the construction of Centers for
temporary Detention (Centri di Detenzione temporanea), now Centers for iden-
tification and expulsion (Centri di identificazione ed espulsione), where undoc-
umented migrants are held before being expelled. at present, struggles against
the high speed railway project between turin and lyon (the so-called No taV
movement) represent a significant intersection-link for the wider network of so-
cial centers. similarly, struggles against privatization of common goods, such as
water, represent another strong link to other social movements.
self-management and self-production
self-production is a basic component of the life and experience of all social cen-
ters and is particularly related to artistic activities such as music, theatrical pro-
ductions, and graphic arts. The list of such activities is long indeed: for example,
concerts; film projections; art exhibitions; ballroom dancing for senior citizens;
production and distribution of topics, records, and CDs; solidarity actions in
favor of Roma; courses in music, photography, dancing, yoga, juggling, open
source software, and so on.2 other facilities offered by the social centers include
libraries, pubs, restaurants, discos, music rehearsing halls, theaters, gyms, and le-
gal advisory centers for migrants and the homeless. for many years, they demon-
strated great originality in playing with symbols, codes, and logos. in the 1990s,
some began to publicize their activities with leaflets, posters, and graffiti, and a
few years later some of their graphics were found to have been adopted by the
mainstream advertising industry. social centers explored and used the potential
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