Project lead
Leandra Choffat, M.A.
Discipline
Geography
Project title
Das Büro zuhause? Telearbeit, Geschlecht und digitaler Wandel in der Schweiz seit den 1980er Jahren
Abstract
Switzerland is a capitalist system deeply rooted in histories of coloniality, cis-heteronormative patriarchy, and neoliberal development. These dynamics contribute to the increasing inaccessibility and unaffordability of urban land and housing in Switzerland for many. This is especially true for those negatively affected by one or multiple forms of discrimination based on race, sexuality, gender, class, ability, and more. Rising prices contribute to the (re)production of unequal access to land and housing and a privatized concentration of property and land ownership in Swiss cities (Tanner, 2022). In this context, urban commons have been discussed as a way to address these challenges and have the potential to create islands of decommodification. A feminist perspective on marginal urban commons as a ground of resistance to challenge the capitalist organization of labor, property relations, and everyday activities through commoning has long been neglected. Simultaneously, it is crucial to keep in mind that urban commoning always exists within capitalist relations and runs the risk of perpetuating social inequalities and creating an ‘outside’ (Anderson & Huron, 2023; Eidelman & Safransky, 2021; Federici, 2018).
Therefore, I will examine negotiations of power dynamics in invented urban commoning and how they can exist as processes of resistance to capitalist structures without (re)producing inequalities. ‘Commoning’ emphasizes a focus on practices and social relations, placing the processual nature of community building at the center. The term ‘invented’ is used in line with Miraftab’s (2004) conceptualization of invented spaces of participation. They are grassroots spaces constituted and maintained through their collective action, directly challenging the prevailing status quo. Building on an intersectional political ecology (IPE) framework, this project is committed to considering intersectional social differences when looking at lived realities and negotiations of power dynamics. Furthermore, it implies a multiscale approach to the analysis of commoning (Sato & Soto Alarcón, 2019). Additionally, I am interested in how a queer perspective can contribute to more equal access to commoning and potentially to alternative imaginations of futures. I explore how non-heteronormative community-building practices, spatiality, and temporality enable alternative ways of negotiating power and support their potential as counter-movements to capitalist relations. The following overarching research question is trying to capture these different layers: To what extent do intersectional power relations impact the access to and management of land and commoning within invented urban commons, and how are these dynamics connected to broader power structures?
Extending my commitment to intersectionality and social justice, I keep in mind that every act of research is an act of power with the potential to perpetuate existing inequalities. I want to consider diverse forms of knowledge (production) and collaborate with the communities most impacted by the issues under study. This is why I will use photovoice and photo elicitation for this project. I will work with two to four invented urban commoning collectives. They will take photographs of previously discussed questions, and we will subsequently have a conversation about them. Through photovoice, social contexts can be captured from the community members’ perspectives, and preexisting roles between researcher and research partners can potentially be altered (Higgins, 2016). The photo project will consist of an introductory workshop, taking the photos, individual conversations, and discussions of the photographs in a group setting. I will also do participatory observation of different processes where power dynamics and community-building are negotiated within the collectives.
Supervision
Prof. Miriam Tola (John Cabot University), Prof. Akosua Darkwah (University of Ghana), Dr. Deniz Ay (University of Bern)
Kontakt
leandra.choffat@unibe.ch
