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Spaces of Resistance – Framing Crisis and Activism in Athens

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Spaces of Resistance – Framing Crisis and Activism in Athens As these years of researching, discussing, analysing and writing the dissertation come to a close, I would like to thank my supervisors for the many discussions, suggested improvements of my work, help in finding funding and their general support. Thanks as well to the Hans Böckler Foundation. By granting me a scholarship and offering support through seminars, networks and discussion groups, they made it possible to realise this work in the first place. I am deeply indebted to my friends and family in Athens, Berlin, Bremen and elsewhere whose support ranged from giving critical feedback, to providing background information, correcting my often curious English, giving interviews and reading parts of this work. Special thanks goes to the staff and associates of the Centre for Gender Studies in the Panteion University of Athens who offered me a desk, a possibility to participate in their programmes and – most importantly – their friendship. Spaces of Resistance – Framing Crisis and Activism in Athens 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................2 1.1. Task Formulation................................................................................................................................................2 1.2. State of Research on Social Movements in Greece............................................................................................8 1.3. Research Questions..........................................................................................................................................12 1.4. State of the Movement.....................................................................................................................................14 1.5. Structure of Research.......................................................................................................................................16 2. Methodology.............................................................................................................................................................18 2.1. Social Movements Studies and the Frame Approach.......................................................................................20 2.2. Research Design...............................................................................................................................................24 2.2.1. Positioning Myself: The Position of an Academic Outside?...................................................................25 2.2.2. Description of Methodology....................................................................................................................30 2.3. Summary and Conclusion Methodology..........................................................................................................40 3. The Socio-Historical Context....................................................................................................................................42 3.1. What Crisis!? The Construction of Crisis as a Deviation from Normality......................................................44 3.2. Historical Roots: The Crisis as Normality in Greece.......................................................................................46 3.2.1. Until 1974: Occupations and Authoritarian Regimes..............................................................................47 3.2.2. Metapolitevsi: The Post-Dictatorial Period.............................................................................................55 3.2.3. 1990s and Early 2000s:'The Years of the Athenian Spectacle'................................................................57 3.2.4. The Rupture of December 2008..............................................................................................................63 3.2.5. Recent Crisis Diary..................................................................................................................................64 3.3. Summary and Conclusion Socio-Historical Context........................................................................................93 4. Analysis.....................................................................................................................................................................94 4.1. Description.......................................................................................................................................................96 4.1.1. The Stage: Spaces Created by Social Practises.......................................................................................97 4.1.2. The Surrounding Political Space...........................................................................................................115 4.1.3. The Actors: Discursive Positions...........................................................................................................125 4.1.4. Cycles of Protest: The Event(ual) and Processual.................................................................................156 4.2. Concept Frames..............................................................................................................................................166 4.2.1. History: Political Memories between Mystification and Rejection.......................................................166 4.2.2. System: Against the System, State and Capital.....................................................................................178 4.2.3. Society: A Subordinate to the System or an Ally?.................................................................................191 4.2.4. Nation: The Intentional Rise of Nationalism.........................................................................................202 4.2.5. Power: The Negative and the Positive Power........................................................................................208 4.2.6. Violence: Defence and Attack................................................................................................................212 4.3. Strategy Frames..............................................................................................................................................220 4.3.1. Confrontation: The Anti-Position..........................................................................................................220 4.3.2. Cooperation: Solidarity Now?...............................................................................................................230 4.3.3. Self-Organisation: From Resistance to Autonomy................................................................................249 4.3.4. Space: Reclaiming and Creating............................................................................................................257 4.4. Cross-Frame Developments...........................................................................................................................277 4.4.1. Developments I: The Time is Now! From Theory to Action.................................................................277 4.4.2. Developments II: Narrowing of the Thematic Agenda..........................................................................280 4.4.3. Developments III: From Action to Reaction to Creation.......................................................................283 4.4.4. Developments IV: Start From The Everyday........................................................................................286 4.5. Summary of Results.......................................................................................................................................288 5. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................................291 5.1. Conceptional and Strategical Shifts...............................................................................................................291 5.2. Conclusion......................................................................................................................................................297 6. Bibliography............................................................................................................................................................305 7. Appendix.................................................................................................................................................................354 1 1. Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1. Task Formulation 'The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.' Antonio Gramsci1 '[T]heory makes little sense unless it is understood as part of the desperate effort to find a way out, to create cracks.' John Holloway2 ‘These worst of times give rise to the best of opportunities for those who understand the need for fundamental economic reform.’ John Williamson3 Contemporary Greece appears to be a society at a crossroads. In the course of the so-called 'Greek debt crisis'4, the country has been exposed to strict austerity measures administered, since 2010, by the Troika5 of IMF and European Union institutions (Busch et al. 2012).6 The structural adjustment measures have had a devastating impact on Greek economy and society (Giannitsis & Zografakis 2015).7 Political structures have been further de-democratised by technocratic
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