Reinventing Politics, Economy and Identity: the ZAD of Notre-Dame-Des-Landes As a Concrete Utopia Within Geographies of Solidarity
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Reinventing politics, economy and identity: The ZAD of Notre-Dame-des-Landes as a concrete utopia within geographies of solidarity Msc. Thesis by Camille Bruneau June 2017 Reinventing politics, economy and identity: The ZAD of Notre-Dame-des-Landes as a concrete utopia within geographies of solidarity Master Thesis submitted as part of the study programme: Master International Development Studies (MID) Wageningen University and Research (WUR) Chair group: Rural Sociology Group (RSO) RSO-80436 Author: Camille Bruneau 910821140060 [email protected] [email protected] Supervisor: Dr.ir. Joost Jongerden Rural Sociology Group (RSO) [email protected] Examiner: Prof.dr.ir. Han Wiskerke Date: 06th of June 2017 Pictures on cover page: Top:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ici-et-ailleurs-en-alsace/24776002204/in/photostream/ Bottom right: http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2012/12/07/01016- 20121207ARTFIG00481-les-insurges-de-notre-dame-des-landes.php . Copyright Herveé Lequex © Bottom left: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cornofulgure/8439578178/in/photostream/ i Preface and Acknowledgments The idea for this thesis, further than intellectual interest, was at first triggered by a powerful experience, of spending a few days on the ZAD at the Bellevue occupied farm in the summer 2016. The ZAD (Zone to defend) of Notre-Dame-des-Landes is large scale anti-capitalist occupation against an airport project, where alternative lifestyles flourish since almost 10 years. It was not a big moment of mobilization but just a normal day in the daily lives of its welcoming and diverse inhabitants. It was however not a complete shock, as opposed to what it is for some people that arrive the first time. Indeed, I had heard of and been interested by the ZAD since about a year, and it happened to be (more or less) on my way: more than a student, I have in the last 10 years travelled Europe and beyond, and been part of squatter, autonomous, anarchist, punk and eco-friendly communities, which are my homes and my friends. I have been convinced and trying to convince others that yes, another world is possible. In the face of scepticism I would answer that yes, I had seen fragments of it, I had felt it! I dedicated my studies to denouncing capitalism and researching alternatives. What I felt on the ZAD, however, was a whole other scale, a whole new level, the materialization of this other reality I had been speaking about for years, but not yet seen with my own eyes. Indeed, nowhere had I seen such a convergence of all the different and often separated alternatives I had experienced and researched until now, ranging from squatting and anarchism to permaculture and food sovereignty, horizontal and self-organization, self-sufficiency, direct action, etc… However incredible, it also just felt natural, right. I was bewitched by this forest, this grove, its little trails, its animals, the noises, the silence, the starry nights. I was drawn into its life-rhythm and relations at a natural and human scale. I was amazed by the various initiatives and personalities, by the smile and “hello” from every stranger I stumbled upon. By the peaceful farm and a kilometre further, the surreal barricade road. By the tranquillity and also the parties. By the taste of homemade bread and cheese, by the book shelves, the homemade beers and salty- caramel, the magical wood houses in the forest, the madly curved watch towers, the deep conversations and stories of insurgencies, the jokes, the encounters. As I left a few days later and spent my journey reading a small book relating the history of the ZAD and the operation Cesar, obtained for donation as I was picking up break from the ZAD bakery, where old women from the neighbouring villages also came weekly, I could not help missing it already. I was left with a compelling feeling, that there is something more for me to experience, to contribute to, to uncover, to share with others, something worth visibilising in these times full of social unrest, questioning and exciting initiatives. Coming back to quiet Wageningen and to my student occupations, I had to decide what to write my thesis about. From reflections the previous year inspired by the work of Doreen Massey and Gibson-Graham, it was already clear to me I wished to write on a social movement or an initiative radically opposed to capitalism, taking a relational and diverse economy perspective. It quickly became evident that it should be on the ZAD. Research revealed very little academic attention is payed. I therefore started conceptualizing my research, which is presented in the following pages, and quickly left for fieldwork in order to arrive on time for the festival-demonstration of the 8th of October. The three months of fieldwork, with a one month break in between, were not empty of hard times and deep questionings, triggered by conversations with people, deep convictions and need for integrity with scientific approaches that inspired me so much such as Gibson-Graham (2008). I wondered, is it possible to understand in just a couple of months? Do I have the legitimacy to ii write about it? Why am here? As an activist or a researcher? I wondered, what role am I to play, can social science contribute to the struggle? Will I put into light things that should rather remain unsaid, not only because they could possibly decredibilise the zad, but also because they are part of long social processes inhabitants themselves have not yet come to terms with? Alongside the doubts, there were hard moments, conflicts, and tensions. It was a time also marked by general nervousness because of eviction threats, and I was affected by a negative atmosphere, not solely because I objectively observed them, but because the strong links created with people from the ZAD and the deep emotional experience that is the ZAD, cannot leave one unmoved by those difficulties. I thought, as an objective researcher, I must show these things, but I was afraid it might pass a message I did not wish to pass. I was filled with doubts. Fortunately, the peaceful moments of reflections remote areas of the ZAD can offer, and many conversations and further experiences made one thing clear: hard times are part of any ambitious social experiment, and conflicts are a necessary part of living together, and the truly committed attempts at resolving them and understanding why they come about are much more important than the conflict themselves. I would like to thank my incredibly patient, understanding and helpful supervisor Joost Jongerden, as well as my family, friends and encounters from the ZAD and beyond for giving me the strength to carry on, and for reviving the belief that this story is worth telling. I also would like to thank Joost for the interest and enthusiasm he has given to my project from the very beginning, as well as the inspiration, trust, freedom and precious advice he gave all the way. I also thank Wageningen University and especially the staff of the Rural Sociology chair group for accompanying me throughout this fulfilling Master programme, until the completion of this thesis. Beyond helping me to overcome deep uncertainties, I also would like to thank inhabitants of the ZAD, some of which have become friends, for trusting me, for seeing me not as an intrusive researcher, but as a struggle companion. I would like to thank them all for opening their homes and telling their stories, for trusting me not to distort their thoughts, for making abstractions of the unconsciously known fact that some of our informal conversations might end up in a thesis, but prioritizing their role in forging long lasting relationships, or in contributing to collective processes. I would like to thank them for making me feel part of this community and opening up new horizons. I have written this thesis with the strong conviction that all I learned is part of a broader process, and that each conflict, conversation and experiences, were exciting moments in a different and unpredictable history writing itself. More than critically analysing people as research subjects and outlining challenges in a purely objective manner, this thesis aims to show the endless humane possibilities growing every day in this very special place, some of which we might not yet be able to anticipate or even imagine. Although “no one can ever write the history of the zad”, as someone in an inhabitants’ meeting once said, I hope that the pages that follow have accomplished the mission of providing a sensible account of my experiences and conclusions, while remaining both academic and not failing my convictions. I believe it has contributed to academia by providing theory on how to understand social movements and life projects like the ZAD, looking at both challenge and opportunities. Essentially, I hope it shows the importance of a more politically engaged academia, desperately needed today. Camille Bruneau 17.05.2017 iii ABSTRACT The ZAD (Zone A Défendre – zone to defend) of Notre-Dame-des-Landes is a 2000 hectare occupied area in western France, in opposition to an airport project planned by the government since the 1970s. From the start, the project faced a fierce peasant and local resistance, which gained a new scope after the occupation of the zone by activists in 2009 and failed eviction attempts in 2012. Since, alternative lifestyles flourish on the now emblematic ZAD: the struggle is now about much more than the airport, but also against “its world”: although often ignored, the struggle for another reality is central. Considering the lack of attention in (non-French) academia, and the importance of radical alternatives in times of ecological and economic crises, this thesis has two objectives.