Social Centres are community spaces. In biological terms a community is a group of interacting Organisms sharing an environment. They are buildings which are used for a range of disparate activities, which can be linked only by virtue of being not-for-profit. A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage They might be organizing centres for local activities or they might provide support networks for minority groups such as prisoners and refugees. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race Often they provide a base for initiatives such as cafes, free shops, public computer labs, graffiti murals, legal collectives and free housing for travellers. Give-away shops, freeshops, or free stores are second-hand stores where all goods are free A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface The services are determined by both the needs of the community in which the social centre is based and the skills which the participants have to offer.
Social centres tend to be in large buildings and thus can host activist meetings, concerts, bookshops, dance performances and art exhibitions. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Social centres are common in many European cities, sometimes in squats, sometimes in rented buildings. Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or Building that the squatter does not own rent or otherwise have permission to use
Contents |
Free spaces
Social centres provide a place to socialise in a bar, cafe or music venue. The term socialization is used by sociologists, social psychologists and Educationalists to refer to the process of learning one’s Culture They also provide access to alternative, hard to access information through projects such as libraries, infoshops, film nights and talks. An infoshop is a storefront or Social center that serves as a node for the distribution of Anarchist information typically in the form of books Zines,
Other activities organised might include events, meetings, exhibitions, classes and workshops on a range of topics.
The projects are run on an entirely voluntary basis by the people involved, who are neither charity workers nor social workers. A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so Etymology The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word " charité " which was derived from the Social work is a discipline involving the application of Social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people groups and societies The projects are run in the spirit of co-operation, solidarity and mutual aid. Distinguish from Corporation. Cooperation, co-operation, or coöperation is the process of working or acting together Other activities organised include events, meetings, exhibitions, classes and workshops on a range of topics.
Whilst every individual case is different, most centres are run on the basis of non-hierarchical consensus decision-making. WikipediaConsensus here as this is the article namespace and that information is irrelevant to the reader Politically most centres lean to the left, being anarchist, autonomist or communist in viewpoint. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Centres tend to adopt an ethical vegan philosophy, whilst accepting that individuals involved may have differing personal lifestyles.
"Social centres are abandoned buildings - warehouses, factories, military forts, schools - that have been occupied by squatters and transformed into cultural and political hubs, explicitly free from both the market, and from state control. . . Though it may be hard to tell at first, the social centres aren't ghettos, they are windows — not only into another way to live, disengaged from the state, but also into a new politics of engagement. And yes, it's something maybe beautiful. " (Klein, 2001).
Different from Community Centres
Social Centres are distinguished from Community centers in the particular relationship social centres have toward the state and governmental institutions. While "community centre" is a term used to describe any center of "public" activity, occasionally sanctioned by the state or private interests such as a corporation, social centres are characterized by their quasi-legal and sometimes illegal existence, their direct subsistence on the community that supports it and their political vision vis-a-vis the state.
Italy
The social centre concept has taken root most successfully in Italy, beginning in the 1970s. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Large factories and even abandoned military barracks have been "appropriated" for use as social centers. There are today dozens of social centers in Italy, often denoted by the initials CSOA (Centro Sociale Occupato Autogestito). Examples include, Pedro in Padova, Spartaco in Ravenna, Officina 99 in Naples and Forte Prenestino, Corto Circuito and Villagio Globale in Rome and Leoncavallo in Milan.
The historic relationship between the Italian social centers and the Autonomia movement (specifically Lotta Continua) has been described briefly in Storming Heaven, Class Composition and Struggle in Italian Autonomous Marxism, by Steve Wright. Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. Lotta Continua was a Far left Political party in Italy, involved in the Autonomism movement
Social centres in Italy continue to be centres of political / social dissent. Notably the Tute Bianche and Ya Basta Association developed directly out of the social center movement, and many social forums take place in social centers. Tute Bianche was a militant Italian social movement active from 1994 to 2001 The Ya Basta Association was a loose network of Italian Anti-capitalist and pro-immigrants rights organizations and groups fueled by the Italian Social center The World Social Forum (WSF is an annual meeting held by members of the Anti-globalization (using the term Globalization in a Doctrinal sense not They are also used for hacklabs, activist copyleft centers (for example, LOA Hacklab in Milan). A hacklab, or media hacklab, is an autonomous technology zone used for the promotion use and development of emancipatory technologies such as Free software and Copyleft is a play on the word Copyright and describes the practice of using copyright law to remove restrictions on distributing copies and modified versions
The Netherlands
Since the Sixties there is a long and continuous tradition of squatted social centres in the Netherlands, particularly in the capital, Amsterdam.
In Leiden the Eurodusnie Collective provide a service to the community by running a free shop and a cafe/bar. "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. The Eurodusnie Collective is an anarchist collective based in Leiden (The Netherlands Give-away shops, freeshops, or free stores are second-hand stores where all goods are free
In Den Haag there was the De Blauwe Aanslag, which was used for 23 years. De Blauwe Aanslag was a Squat in the Dutch city of The Hague.
In Amsterdam, the ASCII centre has been providing free internet to all its 'customers' since 1997 and is now mutating into a hacklab. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west For the issue with Unicode URLs called "ASCII squatting" see IDNA The Amsterdam Subversive Center for Information Interchange ( ASCII The Overtoom301 squat has a cafe, a non-profit printshop and a music venue. OT301 used to be a Squat in the Dutch city of Amsterdam which is located on Overtoom 301 Vrankrijk is open seven days a week, hosting a range of projects including a kraakspreekuur (squatters' advice hour), a bar, a queer night and benefit events. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. The Occii is a busy music venue and children's theatre. The OCCII (Onafhankelijk Cultureel Centrum In It is a venue for alternative and independent music in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
In Rotterdam, the Poortgebouw hosts a twice weekly cafe on Wednesdays and Sundays. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of The Poortgebouw is a national monument located by the River Maas in the Kop van Zuid area of Rotterdam, in The Netherlands.
Spain
In Barcelona, there is a tight network of squatted social centres which publishes a weekly newspaper InfoUsurpa detailing activities and news. The paper is fly-posted on the doors of the squats themselves. As a result of the relaxed attitude of shop-owners towards dumpster diving there are free food cafes every night, often vegan. Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners but which may be useful to the Other squats offer free music or free internet. The Eskalera Karakola is a feminist social center in Madrid many or most of towns. Eskalera Karakola is a squat in Madrid, which is held by Feminists and works on Autogestion principles Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate The Ayuntamiento and Comunidad are many Social center and Public Libraries in all Districts.
The United Kingdom
The UK Social Centre Network aims to link up "the growing number of autonomous spaces to share resources, ideas and information" [1]. The UK Social Centre Network is a grass roots initiative to establish a network between self identified radical independent social and community centres in the United Kingdom This network draws a very clear distinction between the many autonomous social centres around the country on one side and the state or large NGO-sponsored community centres on the other. Despite there being a tradition of large squats, the recent upsurge in social centres has come about in the last five years. Antecedents of the social center concept include projects such as the Roseberry Avenue Autonomy Centre, the Centro Iberico and the Wapping Autonomy Centre. Wapping Autonomy Centre (also known as The Anarchist Centre) was a Social centre set up in a rented former warehouse space in the Wapping area of London
In London, places include the RampART social centre (currently under threat), the London Action Resource Centre, the Freedom Club and the 56a Crampton Street infoshop. The London Action Resource Centre (LARC is a "collectively run building providing space and resources for people and groups working on self-organised non-hierarchical projects for An infoshop is a storefront or Social center that serves as a node for the distribution of Anarchist information typically in the form of books Zines, 'The Square' was active during 2006 and is now closed [1]. On January 20, 2007, a new social centre opened in London, in the old Vortex Jazz Club on Stoke Newington Church Street. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It continued the ideals of the free space project, and ran a cafe, cinema nights and benefits. It was evicted in March 2007. [2] A new space opened up in Camberwell in March 2007 and was evicted in August. [3]
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, there are centres in Oxford (the OARC), Leeds (the Common Place) , Bristol (Kebele), Nottingham (Sumac Centre), Bradford (the 1in12), Manchester (the Basement), Brighton (the Cowley Club), Birmingham (the Cottage of Content Social Centre), Cardiff (The PAD), Liverpool (Next To Nowhere) and Edinburgh (The Forest). The Sumac Centre is an independent Community and Social centre in Nottingham, UK. The Cowley Club is a libertarian Social centre in Brighton, England, UK. The Forest is a volunteer-run self-funded independent Social centre and arts space located on Bristo Place central Edinburgh, Scotland. Belfast's social centre, Giros, has now closed as has Sheffield's Matilda. Sydney Works or Sidney Works is a building on Matilda Street in Sheffield, England.
Many social centres are squats, and as such have a very short life span.
References
- ^ UK Indymedia - Eviction Resistance at The Square
- ^ UK Indymedia - The Vortex Occupied Social Centre Evicted
- ^ Camberwell Squat Centre
Notes
- Klein, N. Fences and Windows, Picador USA , 2001 ISBN 0-312-30799-3.
- "The Social Centre Network" as described by the London Action Resource Centre.
External links
- List of social centres worldwide
- Selfmanaged Social Centers
- Social Centers, Community Spaces, and Squats From "Italy's Cultural Underground" by Adam Bregman
- Social Centre Network (UK)
See also
Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. A hacklab, or media hacklab, is an autonomous technology zone used for the promotion use and development of emancipatory technologies such as Free software and An infoshop is a storefront or Social center that serves as a node for the distribution of Anarchist information typically in the form of books Zines, Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or Building that the squatter does not own rent or otherwise have permission to useDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic