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The Struggle for Autonomy in Post-political City

Contentious Politics
Social Movements
Political Activism

Abstract

The paper deals with the struggle for Autonomous social centre Klinika in Prague. Prague is post-socialist city that has transformed from central planned society of authoritative „actually existing socialism“ at the end of 1980´ into contemporary neoliberal society based on „free market“, private property and „free“ competition. The contemporary condition is a neoliberal and post-ideological consensus based on the acceptance of the capitalist market and the liberal state as the organisational foundations of society. The post-political city (Swyngedow 2007, 2011) is consensually managed by developers, owners and local politicians that gave framework for entrepreneurial pursuit of profit. This strong dichotomy between public and private, between state and „free“ market doesn´t provide space for alternative ideas and praxis which would be question and challenge them. This post-political and neoliberal consensus is presented by them as apolitical, technical management of city. To challange this neoliberal consensus by different visions and particuarly by direct action is presented as violence of peaceful coexistence. The paper deals with the struggle for Klinika, the one autonomous space and commons in post-socialist Prague. Klinika is an autonomous social centre which began as a squatted place and for the public support it was legalized for an one year by the state authorities´. During this time Klinika became successful autonomous geography (Pickerill, Chatterton 2006) which has contested a market logic and also became visible symbol not only of a different kind of politics, but also a non-capitalist everyday action. Because of refugees solidarity in the Czech society not welcoming refugees the Klinika also became contentious issue and target of right-wing and anti-immigrants political forces. From these reasons after the state authorities´ decided to closed the centre because of the space which splits Czech society. After one year Klinika is the squatted places again and faces the strong pressures on the evictions. In the neoliberal and post-socialist city, which Prague is, the state authoritites´ don´t accept cultural but as well political alternatives, based on radical-left positions and don´t use „creative city“ to co-optate these political alternatives. They rather use rhetoric of peaceful coexistence and consensus to criminalize, to marginalize and to repress the autonomous centre. The paper deals with the struggle for Klinika, which is rather counter-conduct than resistance, as an important example of commoning in the post-socialist city and neoliberal society, where to be non-capitalist and autonomous means to be also conflictual. Arnost Novak has been active at autonomous and anarchist scene in Prague since beginning of 1990s. He is member of collective Autonomous social centre Klinika. He teaches environmental sociology at Charles University in Prague.