Battles forSocio‐SpatialHegemony in the Exilic Space of Exarcheia

Abstract

AbstractThe neighbourhood of Exarcheia in Athens, Greece has long been recognised as the socio‐spatial epicentre of the Athenian anarchist and anti‐authoritarian milieu wherein several self‐organised spaces, groups, and initiatives have thrived. In this paper, I characterise Exarcheia as an exilic space within the capitalist world‐system. Exilic spaces are paradoxical spaces of relative and precarious autonomy grounded in the principles of self‐organisation, solidarity, and mutual aid. While I highlight Exarcheia’s exilic status, I also investigate significant internal problematics and tensions. Specifically, I investigate the construction and implementation of a hegemonic project at the exilic scale revolving around the perception that certain anti‐social actors were gaining ground in the neighbourhood whose behaviours constituted a direct threat to Exarcheia’s exilic status. I then problematise the hegemonic consensus and identify a counter‐hegemonic response consisting of marginalised voices opposed to the hegemonic project in both theory and practice, signalling a crisis of exilic hegemony.