Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RadicalHOUSING (Radical Housing: Cities and the global fight against housing precarity)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-04-01 al 2022-09-30
Millions of people are forcibly evicted from their homes every year, and 1.6 billion have inadequate housing. In response to the increasing dwelling precarity worldwide, grassroots housing movements are becoming more and more common. However, little is understood about the significance and impact of these struggles globally. How is the global fight for inhabitation reshaping our cities across geographies? The EU-funded RadicalHOUSING project aims to fill this critical gap in knowledge. It will achieve this through an innovative radical housing approach and research on translocal networks and grassroots struggles in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The project will lead to a better understanding of the global fight against housing precarity and its urban politics.
The overall research aim is to investigates how housing and inhabitation struggles enable people to articulate wider, if often mundane, politics to fight class, race, and gender injustice across the globe. Central to the achievement of this aim is the development of a Radical Housing Approach (RHA), based on three tenets: a decolonial and intersectional take on theory; an ethnography oriented at critical engagement; and a committed approach to knowledge exchange. The project is designed around five research objectives:
1) To sketch the contemporary history of housing precarity across the globe from an intersectional perspective (looking at how it intersects with class, gender and race dimensions);
2) To investigate the organisational structures and politics of housing activist networks in the Americas, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia;
3) To explore radical inhabitation practices on the ground, in eight paradigmatic cities worldwide;
4) To facilitate trans-local knowledge exchange and support situated housing struggles;
5) To set a new agenda for a global scholarship of radical dwelling practice and theory.
The overall research aim is to investigates how housing and inhabitation struggles enable people to articulate wider, if often mundane, politics to fight class, race, and gender injustice across the globe. Central to the achievement of this aim is the development of a Radical Housing Approach (RHA), based on three tenets: a decolonial and intersectional take on theory; an ethnography oriented at critical engagement; and a committed approach to knowledge exchange. The project is designed around five research objectives:
1) To sketch the contemporary history of housing precarity across the globe from an intersectional perspective (looking at how it intersects with class, gender and race dimensions);
2) To investigate the organisational structures and politics of housing activist networks in the Americas, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia;
3) To explore radical inhabitation practices on the ground, in eight paradigmatic cities worldwide;
4) To facilitate trans-local knowledge exchange and support situated housing struggles;
5) To set a new agenda for a global scholarship of radical dwelling practice and theory.
FIRST Phase: Sept 2020-April 2021
This is the initial phase of the project, when it was still based at the university of Sheffield. This phase was characterised by the complete lockdown of activities locally and globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic and by family difficulties. Nonetheless, the project begun with the hiring of two part-time researchers, who worked on an initial literature review concerning housing struggles in Europe and the notions of housing and 'intersectionality'. The PI in this period was also able to draft a book proposal, on the basis of the project most advanced conceptual propositions. The PI signed a contract with the prestigious Duke University Press for a book entitled "Home(lessness): for a liberatory politics of home"
SECOND PHASE: April 2021-September 2021
In this phase the project was moved to the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. The PI re-adjusted to the new institution and continued the work on the project in three ways. First, PI was able to complete a first manuscript, which was sent out for review by Duke and it came back with positive reviews, which nonetheless requires further work, which the PI will complete in 2022. Second, the PI advertised several post-doctoral positions internationally and undertook a very thorough assessment of all the submitted applications. The committee undertook more than 70 interviews to fulfil the available jobs. All in all, the PI hire 2 Italian post-docs for one year (renewable) and 4 international post-docs for three years. The Italian post-docs started working for the project in September 2021, while the international will commence in late January 2022. Third, much effort was put to secure the approval of the Ethic Committee of the Polytechnic of Turin. The PI undertook a very comprehensive analysis of the risks associated with the project, of its ethical consideration and of its data management procedure.
THIRD PHASE: September 2021-January 2022
The final phase of the initial period for the Inhabiting Radical Housing project has been characterised by three elements. First, the PI, together with one of the postdoctoral researchers, completed the ERC ethics deliverable, which were submitted in December 2021 and received with appraisal by the evaluator. Second, much preparatory work to welcome the international researchers was put in place, in order to sort out the various administrative and COVID-related challenges of hiring, and therefore travelling, during the current global conditions. Third, the PI has continued his publications activities, publishing a special issue on 'Dwelling in Liminalities' in one of the major international journal in the field of Geography (EPD: Society and Space), and continuing to deliver international talks (which comprised three keynotes at major events) on matters related to the project. He also supported three applicants to the Marie Curie scheme, and was successful in obtaining a three-year international fellowship in Urban Studies (€220.000) that will support an Indian scholar to come to Turin and join his Lab.
DISSEMINATION
Publications, BOOKS:
- Lancione, M. and McFarlane, C. ed., 2021. Global Urbanism. Knowledge, Power and the City. London: Routledge.
Publications, PAPERS:
- Lancione, Michele, and AbdouMaliq Simone. (2021). ‘Dwelling in Liminalities, Thinking beyond Inhabitation’ Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Online First.
+ 4 chapters in books
Invited KEYNOTES:
– 2021, “The false symmetry of research-activism. Towards accomplicenship and undercommon praxis”, keynote with Veda Popovici at the RGS-IBG Urban Geography research group conference, November 2021
– 2021, “Race, class and the plan, in Bucharest, Romania”, keynote at the DASTU, Polytechnic of Milan, at their “Planning for Social Justice” event, October 2021
– 2021, “Inhabiting dispossession in the post-socialist city: storylines, embodied struggles, and emplacement”, keynote speech at the international workshops “Migrant and Minority Activism: Between protest movements and everyday engagement”, organised by ZOiS Berlin, September 2021
– 2021, “Curare a parte. Bio-austerità e geografia politica interstiziale”, keynote speech at the event “Dagli spazi di percezione agli spazi della politica”, organised by PhD students in Geography at the University of Padova, June 2021
+ In this whole period (Sept 2020-Jan 2021) I have been invited to 19 seminar by Universities around the world.
This is the initial phase of the project, when it was still based at the university of Sheffield. This phase was characterised by the complete lockdown of activities locally and globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic and by family difficulties. Nonetheless, the project begun with the hiring of two part-time researchers, who worked on an initial literature review concerning housing struggles in Europe and the notions of housing and 'intersectionality'. The PI in this period was also able to draft a book proposal, on the basis of the project most advanced conceptual propositions. The PI signed a contract with the prestigious Duke University Press for a book entitled "Home(lessness): for a liberatory politics of home"
SECOND PHASE: April 2021-September 2021
In this phase the project was moved to the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. The PI re-adjusted to the new institution and continued the work on the project in three ways. First, PI was able to complete a first manuscript, which was sent out for review by Duke and it came back with positive reviews, which nonetheless requires further work, which the PI will complete in 2022. Second, the PI advertised several post-doctoral positions internationally and undertook a very thorough assessment of all the submitted applications. The committee undertook more than 70 interviews to fulfil the available jobs. All in all, the PI hire 2 Italian post-docs for one year (renewable) and 4 international post-docs for three years. The Italian post-docs started working for the project in September 2021, while the international will commence in late January 2022. Third, much effort was put to secure the approval of the Ethic Committee of the Polytechnic of Turin. The PI undertook a very comprehensive analysis of the risks associated with the project, of its ethical consideration and of its data management procedure.
THIRD PHASE: September 2021-January 2022
The final phase of the initial period for the Inhabiting Radical Housing project has been characterised by three elements. First, the PI, together with one of the postdoctoral researchers, completed the ERC ethics deliverable, which were submitted in December 2021 and received with appraisal by the evaluator. Second, much preparatory work to welcome the international researchers was put in place, in order to sort out the various administrative and COVID-related challenges of hiring, and therefore travelling, during the current global conditions. Third, the PI has continued his publications activities, publishing a special issue on 'Dwelling in Liminalities' in one of the major international journal in the field of Geography (EPD: Society and Space), and continuing to deliver international talks (which comprised three keynotes at major events) on matters related to the project. He also supported three applicants to the Marie Curie scheme, and was successful in obtaining a three-year international fellowship in Urban Studies (€220.000) that will support an Indian scholar to come to Turin and join his Lab.
DISSEMINATION
Publications, BOOKS:
- Lancione, M. and McFarlane, C. ed., 2021. Global Urbanism. Knowledge, Power and the City. London: Routledge.
Publications, PAPERS:
- Lancione, Michele, and AbdouMaliq Simone. (2021). ‘Dwelling in Liminalities, Thinking beyond Inhabitation’ Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Online First.
+ 4 chapters in books
Invited KEYNOTES:
– 2021, “The false symmetry of research-activism. Towards accomplicenship and undercommon praxis”, keynote with Veda Popovici at the RGS-IBG Urban Geography research group conference, November 2021
– 2021, “Race, class and the plan, in Bucharest, Romania”, keynote at the DASTU, Polytechnic of Milan, at their “Planning for Social Justice” event, October 2021
– 2021, “Inhabiting dispossession in the post-socialist city: storylines, embodied struggles, and emplacement”, keynote speech at the international workshops “Migrant and Minority Activism: Between protest movements and everyday engagement”, organised by ZOiS Berlin, September 2021
– 2021, “Curare a parte. Bio-austerità e geografia politica interstiziale”, keynote speech at the event “Dagli spazi di percezione agli spazi della politica”, organised by PhD students in Geography at the University of Padova, June 2021
+ In this whole period (Sept 2020-Jan 2021) I have been invited to 19 seminar by Universities around the world.
After the set-up phase, and the exploratory work done in this first year, in the coming 4 years the project will pursue:
Global research on the struggle for inhabitation, divided into five work packages:
- WP1: Multi-language review on housing precarity
- WP2: Research on trans-local networks globally
- WP3: Extended ethnographic fieldwork in eight paradigmatic cities worldwide
- WP4: Knowledge-exchange with activists and support to their struggles
- WP5: Collective theorisation
Opening of a new Beyond Inhabitation Lab, which will include:
- International visiting (including housing activists)
- Transdisciplinary seminar series
- Extended working groups, with selected urban labs worldwide
Offer High-profile engagement, including:
- High-quality academic publications (also open-source), and a film documentary
- Situated interventions in support of local housing struggles
- Rich multi-media web site, used as a platform for interactive global connections
Global research on the struggle for inhabitation, divided into five work packages:
- WP1: Multi-language review on housing precarity
- WP2: Research on trans-local networks globally
- WP3: Extended ethnographic fieldwork in eight paradigmatic cities worldwide
- WP4: Knowledge-exchange with activists and support to their struggles
- WP5: Collective theorisation
Opening of a new Beyond Inhabitation Lab, which will include:
- International visiting (including housing activists)
- Transdisciplinary seminar series
- Extended working groups, with selected urban labs worldwide
Offer High-profile engagement, including:
- High-quality academic publications (also open-source), and a film documentary
- Situated interventions in support of local housing struggles
- Rich multi-media web site, used as a platform for interactive global connections