The name is absent

92

example of the former includes the formation of neighborhood collectives which came
together along existing social networks to address issues of local concern: in the Athenian
neighborhood of Halandri, individuals came together to fight environmental degradation;
and in the neighborhood of Ag. Paraskevi, individuals came together to fight the sale of a
local landmark home to developers interested in erecting a nightclub. In these examples,
individuals belonging to interwoven social networks were attentive to common situations,
conditions, or issues of concern, came to engage with related discursive spaces which
formed publics that in turn informed united group action. The vigilante “Street Panther”
group which advocates for pedestrian rights by vandalizing illegally parked cars with
stickers provides an example of rhizomatic aggregation: as more and more people came
together on the web in internet chat rooms to share stories of frustration over blocked
sidewalks due to illegally parked cars, social capacity grew and the “Street Panthers”
came together. In this case individuals with common subjective experiences and
frustrations sought out publics where they could voice their concerns and opinions. An
informal organization was subsequently formed by motivated individuals who
coordinated public action according to the group’s dispositions and structure. Finally,
groups like the “Open Assembly from the Hill of Strefi” ("Avoιχτη ∑υvελευση απo τov
λoφo τoυ ∑τpεφη^,,} which was formed to protest the illegal burning of forest land to
enable development in the mountains near Athens, provide an example of how local
social networks came together to protest an issue of local interest, but subsequently
attracted others who participated in the publics the group created and pursued action on
their own or through their own social networks to support the cause.

<<   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   >>

More intriguing information