This paper critically analyses the post-political thesis, highlighting its universalising and age... more This paper critically analyses the post-political thesis, highlighting its universalising and agencygrabbing tendencies. Drawing on my own family life, anarchist theory and long-standing traditions of 'properly' political placemaking by past and present grassroots actors, the paper unsettles two interrelated claims on which the post-political thesis sits. First, that the political (le politique) is in retreat. Second, that 'proper' politics constitutes a confrontational set of relations. Informed by empirical observations I present an existing form of rigorous political encounter enacted in anarchistinfluenced social centres. The politics on offer here has a supportive pedagogical quality to it and, crucially, there are semblances of this pedagogical politics found in multiple sites. Focusing on the 'micro-physics of power' at work in social centres, I show how such organisational practices counter the predetermined finalities of the post-political condition by enacting what I call 'equality-as-tactic'. Community here is not an empty vessel that can be easily filled with 'empty signifiers'. On the contrary, post-political practices tend to crack under the scrutiny of a pedagogical politics aimed at equalising participation in the decisionmaking process.
This thesis charts the work of a group of people in their efforts to set up a social centre in Gl... more This thesis charts the work of a group of people in their efforts to set up a social centre in Glasgow. A social centre is like our once prolific community centre but with an explicit political character and agenda. They are social and cultural hubs where people can take part in a variety of communal events (e.g. dancing, cooking, eating, game play or simply hanging around). They are also places that encourage political debate, organization and action. Crucially, users are encouraged to participate in the day-to-day running of the centres. Social centres have a rich history in European radical politics. While proponents of various political philosophies use social centres, they are most commonly associated with anarchism. Anarchism is a tradition of political thought and practice that aims to build a society based on mutual aid and mass democratic participation characterised by a rejection of all forms of human domination over other humans. In this work I explore a variety of politi...
Drawing upon new approaches to thinking about care, as summarised in the above quote, this resear... more Drawing upon new approaches to thinking about care, as summarised in the above quote, this research set out to explore the interrelationships between sustainability, health, well-being and the urban environment. Through actively engaging with existing grassroots projects involved in community gardening in Glasgow, the project goes beyond existing top-down public policy initiatives, to explore bottom-up and collaborative models of urban regeneration. The research project underpinning this report was designed in collaboration with grassroots community garden groups in the city. Bringing together the experiences and opinions of volunteers and staff working in these gardens and a number of experts and activists in the related areas of Urban Agriculture (UA) and urban green space use, the report identifies a number of ways in which gardens benefit communities. It also assesses a number of challenges faced by community groups as they try to construct a sustainable future for community gardening in Glasgow. After a brief introduction to community gardening in Glasgow, this report outlines a range of benefits accrued to individuals that participate in community garden activities and the wider communities that live in relative proximity to the gardens. The report then considers the main challenges faced by community garden groups in the city. 1.2 Definition of Community Gardens In this study we employed a standard definition of community gardens-one that differentiates this form of organisation from allotments, which are frequently more formally organised and have greater ownership rights over their sites of activity. "Community gardens are locally managed pieces of land that are developed in response to and reflect the needs of the communities in which they are based. They may be associated with other community resources such as community centres or schools, but often are 'stand-alone'. Not all community gardens are involved in growing-some are focused on amenity and recreation, others prioritise biodiversity or therapeutic gardening. Many include elements of fruit and vegetable growing within their activities and some focus strongly on these activities"
The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher and... more The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher and is for private use only. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.
The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their rol... more The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their role in community empowerment in the contemporary city. In this article, we focus upon the work being done in community gardens, using gardening in Glasgow as a case study. We argue that while community gardening cannot be divorced from more regressive underlying economic and social processes accompanying neoliberal austerity policies, it does provide space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment. In developing this argument we use recent geographical scholarship concerning the generative role of place in bringing together individuals and communities in new collective forms of working. Community gardens are places that facilitate the recovery of individual agency, construction of new forms of knowledge and participation, and renewal of reflexive and proactive communities that provide broader lessons for building more progressive forms of work ...
Prosumption encompasses acts of production and consumption, and studies on it have mostly taken a... more Prosumption encompasses acts of production and consumption, and studies on it have mostly taken a commercial focus, centred on the dominant individualistic narrative of ‘I’. This article seeks to extend debate regarding prosumption by exploring its possibilities for creating a new set of ‘we’ identities based around nature and community. It focuses on community gardens and how these places generate progressive forms of social relations that critique mainstream mass production and environmentally destructive food systems.
In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening "can become c... more In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening "can become complicit in the construction of neoliberal hegemony". Such he-gemony is maintained, it is argued, through the day-today work of neoliberal citizen-subjects, which "alleviates the state from service provision". In this paper we acknowledge that community gardens are vulnerable to neoliberal cooptation. But, even where neoliberal practices are evidenced, such practices do not define or foreclose other socio-political subjectivities at work in the gardens. We contend that community gardens in Glasgow cultivate collective practices that offer us a glimpse of what a progressively transformative polity can achieve. Enabled by an interlocking process of community and spatial production , this form of citizen participation encourages us to reconsider our relationships with one another, our environment and what constitutes effective political practice. Inspired by a range of writings on citizenship formation we term this "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) Citizenship.
In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening " can become ... more In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening " can become complicit in the construction of neoliberal hegemony ". Such he-gemony is maintained, it is argued, through the day-today work of neoliberal citizen-subjects, which " alleviates the state from service provision ". In this paper we acknowledge that community gardens are vulnerable to neoliberal cooptation. But, even where neoliberal practices are evidenced, such practices do not define or foreclose other socio-political subjectivities at work in the gardens. We contend that community gardens in Glasgow cultivate collective practices that offer us a glimpse of what a progressively transformative polity can achieve. Enabled by an interlocking process of community and spatial production , this form of citizen participation encourages us to reconsider our relationships with one another, our environment and what constitutes effective political practice. Inspired by a range of writings on citizenship formation we term this " Do-It-Yourself " (DIY) Citizenship.
This paper critically analyses the post-political thesis, highlighting its universalising and age... more This paper critically analyses the post-political thesis, highlighting its universalising and agencygrabbing tendencies. Drawing on my own family life, anarchist theory and long-standing traditions of 'properly' political placemaking by past and present grassroots actors, the paper unsettles two interrelated claims on which the post-political thesis sits. First, that the political (le politique) is in retreat. Second, that 'proper' politics constitutes a confrontational set of relations. Informed by empirical observations I present an existing form of rigorous political encounter enacted in anarchistinfluenced social centres. The politics on offer here has a supportive pedagogical quality to it and, crucially, there are semblances of this pedagogical politics found in multiple sites. Focusing on the 'micro-physics of power' at work in social centres, I show how such organisational practices counter the predetermined finalities of the post-political condition by enacting what I call 'equality-as-tactic'. Community here is not an empty vessel that can be easily filled with 'empty signifiers'. On the contrary, post-political practices tend to crack under the scrutiny of a pedagogical politics aimed at equalising participation in the decisionmaking process.
This thesis charts the work of a group of people in their efforts to set up a social centre in Gl... more This thesis charts the work of a group of people in their efforts to set up a social centre in Glasgow. A social centre is like our once prolific community centre but with an explicit political character and agenda. They are social and cultural hubs where people can take part in a variety of communal events (e.g. dancing, cooking, eating, game play or simply hanging around). They are also places that encourage political debate, organization and action. Crucially, users are encouraged to participate in the day-to-day running of the centres. Social centres have a rich history in European radical politics. While proponents of various political philosophies use social centres, they are most commonly associated with anarchism. Anarchism is a tradition of political thought and practice that aims to build a society based on mutual aid and mass democratic participation characterised by a rejection of all forms of human domination over other humans. In this work I explore a variety of politi...
Drawing upon new approaches to thinking about care, as summarised in the above quote, this resear... more Drawing upon new approaches to thinking about care, as summarised in the above quote, this research set out to explore the interrelationships between sustainability, health, well-being and the urban environment. Through actively engaging with existing grassroots projects involved in community gardening in Glasgow, the project goes beyond existing top-down public policy initiatives, to explore bottom-up and collaborative models of urban regeneration. The research project underpinning this report was designed in collaboration with grassroots community garden groups in the city. Bringing together the experiences and opinions of volunteers and staff working in these gardens and a number of experts and activists in the related areas of Urban Agriculture (UA) and urban green space use, the report identifies a number of ways in which gardens benefit communities. It also assesses a number of challenges faced by community groups as they try to construct a sustainable future for community gardening in Glasgow. After a brief introduction to community gardening in Glasgow, this report outlines a range of benefits accrued to individuals that participate in community garden activities and the wider communities that live in relative proximity to the gardens. The report then considers the main challenges faced by community garden groups in the city. 1.2 Definition of Community Gardens In this study we employed a standard definition of community gardens-one that differentiates this form of organisation from allotments, which are frequently more formally organised and have greater ownership rights over their sites of activity. "Community gardens are locally managed pieces of land that are developed in response to and reflect the needs of the communities in which they are based. They may be associated with other community resources such as community centres or schools, but often are 'stand-alone'. Not all community gardens are involved in growing-some are focused on amenity and recreation, others prioritise biodiversity or therapeutic gardening. Many include elements of fruit and vegetable growing within their activities and some focus strongly on these activities"
The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher and... more The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher and is for private use only. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.
The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their rol... more The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their role in community empowerment in the contemporary city. In this article, we focus upon the work being done in community gardens, using gardening in Glasgow as a case study. We argue that while community gardening cannot be divorced from more regressive underlying economic and social processes accompanying neoliberal austerity policies, it does provide space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment. In developing this argument we use recent geographical scholarship concerning the generative role of place in bringing together individuals and communities in new collective forms of working. Community gardens are places that facilitate the recovery of individual agency, construction of new forms of knowledge and participation, and renewal of reflexive and proactive communities that provide broader lessons for building more progressive forms of work ...
Prosumption encompasses acts of production and consumption, and studies on it have mostly taken a... more Prosumption encompasses acts of production and consumption, and studies on it have mostly taken a commercial focus, centred on the dominant individualistic narrative of ‘I’. This article seeks to extend debate regarding prosumption by exploring its possibilities for creating a new set of ‘we’ identities based around nature and community. It focuses on community gardens and how these places generate progressive forms of social relations that critique mainstream mass production and environmentally destructive food systems.
In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening "can become c... more In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening "can become complicit in the construction of neoliberal hegemony". Such he-gemony is maintained, it is argued, through the day-today work of neoliberal citizen-subjects, which "alleviates the state from service provision". In this paper we acknowledge that community gardens are vulnerable to neoliberal cooptation. But, even where neoliberal practices are evidenced, such practices do not define or foreclose other socio-political subjectivities at work in the gardens. We contend that community gardens in Glasgow cultivate collective practices that offer us a glimpse of what a progressively transformative polity can achieve. Enabled by an interlocking process of community and spatial production , this form of citizen participation encourages us to reconsider our relationships with one another, our environment and what constitutes effective political practice. Inspired by a range of writings on citizenship formation we term this "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) Citizenship.
In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening " can become ... more In this journal, it has been suggested that citizens practising community gardening " can become complicit in the construction of neoliberal hegemony ". Such he-gemony is maintained, it is argued, through the day-today work of neoliberal citizen-subjects, which " alleviates the state from service provision ". In this paper we acknowledge that community gardens are vulnerable to neoliberal cooptation. But, even where neoliberal practices are evidenced, such practices do not define or foreclose other socio-political subjectivities at work in the gardens. We contend that community gardens in Glasgow cultivate collective practices that offer us a glimpse of what a progressively transformative polity can achieve. Enabled by an interlocking process of community and spatial production , this form of citizen participation encourages us to reconsider our relationships with one another, our environment and what constitutes effective political practice. Inspired by a range of writings on citizenship formation we term this " Do-It-Yourself " (DIY) Citizenship.
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