KLINIKA: THE STRUGGLE FOR AN AUTONOMOUS SPACE AND COMMONS IN PRAGUE

ABSTRACT

In post-socialist Czech Republic there is strong dichotomy between public and private, between state and „free“ market. There are almost no alternative ideas and praxis which would question and challenge them. This paper deals with the struggle for Klinika, an one autonomous space and commons in post-socialist Prague. Klinika is an autonomous social centre which began as a squatted place, but with public support, was legalized for one year by the state authorities´. During this time Klinika became a successful autonomous geography which has contested market logic and became visible symbol of not only a different kind of politics, but also non-capitalist everyday action. Klinika also became a contentious issue and target of right-wing and anti-immigrants political forces due to its stance in solidarity with refugees within a Czech society largely not welcoming refugees. From these reasons the state authorities´ decided not to renew the agreement with the centre. After one year legal Klinika is now a squatted place again and is under strong pressur of eviction. The state authoritites´ in Prague don´t accept cultural but as well political alternatives, based on radical-left positions and don´t use „creative city“ to co-optate these political alternatives or seek to stop them. The paper deals with the struggle for Klinika as an important example of commoning in the post-socialist city and society, where the public discourse is limited on this dichotomie.

The paper is based on qualitative research and presents thes struggle for the social center Klinika, but also engages with internal struggles to be someone other than neoliberal „entrepreneur of the self“.

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