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underlying political ideology for identifiable, if loosely defined, political ends. Members
of these groups describe feeling connected to a broader anti-establishment movement,
community, or ethic, but not restricted by or acquiescent to any particular organization or
structure. An interview I conducted with a high-school-aged boy attending a party at the
Prapopoulou squat reveals this sentiment. Of note, this interview was conducted in
English because I was introduced to him as an “American university student”, and he
insisted on conversing in English, as he explained, partially to practice his language skills
but also because he deemed using English with me showed hospitality (φιλoξεviα):
Othon (0): So why did you come tonight?
Consultant (C): My friend heard about this place so we came to see what it’s like.
(0): How did he hear about the squat? From a member, I mean, someone who
comes here often?
(C): Member? No! ... squats ... I don’t think they have members! My friend got a
text message about the party and we came. This is one of those places where
people just come to have a good time. We come to places like this often, we like
it.
(O): Are you guys making a statement by coming here? Is there a political reason
you go to parties at squats?
(C): No, no statement really. One friend will call another when we hear about
these parties and we just go, you know, to meet girls ... [laughing] ... We feel
comfortable at squats like this, they’re free spaces and everyone likes that. People
like to feel free for a while ... that’s as political as we’ll be tonight!
(0): Would you come back here by yourself when there’s no party?
(C): I don’t know ... maybe, but probably not without my friends. We’re not
really here for the squat, although we feel good about supporting it... no, we’re
here because it feels right and we want to have fun.
On occasions, as in the above example, when more than one paréa gathers socially,
individuals still identify with their own paréa primarily, and with the totality second117.
The intersubjectivity at work in these larger gatherings is thus quite complex. Within
their paréa, individuals are connected by a sense of friendship and/or kinship, but to the
117 McPhail (1991) has also observed this phenomenon among gatherings of small pre-existing social
groups.