Social nucleation of counterhegemonic spaces

AbstractIn social movement scholarship, a varied array of concepts is used to describe different counterhegemonic social spaces (squats, urban gardens, civil/neighbourhood organizations, etc.), such as ‘autonomous spaces’, ‘spaces of hope’, ‘free (social) spaces’, ‘temporary nodes of resistance to capitalism’ (hereafter, TNRCs), ‘contested spaces’ or ‘social centres’. To link this variety of physical counter-spaces in a conceptual framework, a socioecosystemic approach based on the process of ecological nucleation is suggested. Thus, social nucleation refers to the process of the creation, maintenance, and evolution of spaces—physical or not—that modify their surrounding socioenvironmental conditions, facilitating the recovery of or fostering the functions of socioecosystems based on the existence of interactions. Social nucleation facilitates the emergence and development of a multiplicity of places (social nuclei) created by people with the objective of gathering and developing different activities. Social nucleation could add a holistic point of view to the discussion of the most common terms used in this field, acting as an umbrella concept for this set of different concepts. This can help us thinking about counterhegemonic spaces as a part of the whole socioecosystem and it is helpful in three ways. First, these related concepts can be united into a wider idea. Second, focusing on the common socioecological functions of these places could facilitate their classification despite their differences. These shared socioecological functions could also be used as a methodological tool to analyse these spaces within the dynamics of a social movement. Moreover, highlighting the common functions that these spaces share can help to visualize their significance for developing counterhegemonic alternatives, identities, and networks. Finally, the social nucleation process and socioecological functions can help us revealing the importance of activist networks for creating and maintaining these places.