HUMANIORA ACTA Universitatis Tallinnensis Sarjas „Acta Universitatis This unexpected book takes a look at the contemporary CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT ANDPLAYGROUNDS BATTLEFIELDS EDITORS: Tallinnensis. Humaniora” urban capitalist society in its restlessness, instabilities Francisco Martínez varem ilmunud: and precarious life-forms. The authors go out of their Klemen Slabina • Олеся Лагашина, Марк disciplinary boundaries to fi nd explanation for complex Алданов и Лев Толстой: phenomena, combining in a fresh and clever way FOREWORD: к проблеме рецепции diverse professional fi elds. In several cases it prefers Mihhail Lotman • Testo e Metodo. Prospettive a sideways look rather than a confrontational one; a teoriche sulla letteratura strategy that turns out to be rather constructive. We AUTHORS: italiana. A cura di Daniele could categorise this book under the label of critical Dita Bezdičková Monticelli e Licia Taverna spatial theory: critical, in that it aims toward not only an Alastair Bonnett • Пограничные феномены explanation but also real change; spatial in that it sees Marcos Farias-Ferreira культуры: Перевод. Диалог. contemporary processes carefully embedded in the Manuel Fernández García Семиосфера. Материалы midst of crisscrossing trajectories, local simultaneities Tom Frost Первых Лотмановских дней and human becomings. Patricia García Espín в Таллиннском университете Helena Holgersson Prof. Andres Kurg • Сурен Золян, Михаил Лотман. Estonian Academy of Arts Sean Homer Исследования в области Ehti Järv семан тической поэтики Tarmo Jüristo акмеизма This book allows the reader to access to topographies of Flo Kasearu • Культура русской диаспоры: change. The image of the playground is very accurate Siobhan Kattago Эмиграция и мифы. Сборник and related to multiple typologies of resistance in the Patrick Laviolette статей actual crisis. It’s not only Occupy-movements in the Francisco Martínez • Случайность и непред- entire world, but the way in which societies deal with Madli Maruste сказуемость в истории their pasts—and their futures. This is the other side of PLAYGROUNDS AND Kristina Norman культуры. Материалы Вторых the book: battlefi elds. Here the authors not only try to Benjamin Noys Лотмановских дней explain what their view of a playground is but they are BATTLEFIELDS Oleg Pachenkov в Таллиннском университете proposing how to use this concept for accessing the Jaanika Puusalu • Tiina Kala, Jutlustajad ja rituality of everyday life in a post-shock Pille Runnel hingede päästjad: Dominiiklaste global society as ours. Kevin Ryan ordu ja Prof. José Maria Faraldo CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES Klemen Slabina Tallinna Püha Katariina konvent Complutense University of Madrid Alessandro Testa • Русский язык сегодня: OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT Emeli Theander Aктуальные вопросы теории и Anne Vatén их методическая интерпретация Lilia Voronkova Edited by Francisco Martínez and Klemen Slabina On cover: Emeli Theander, QUESTIUMGIGANTUMACTA UniversitatisCOMPERATUMVE HUMERIS Tallinnensis Mary Go Round 9 789985 587744 PLAYGROUNDS AND BATTLEFIELDS ACTA UNIVERSITATIS TALLINNENSIS Humaniora ADVISORY BOARD Cornelius Hasselblatt (Groningen University) Tiina Kirss (Tallinn University) Jüri Kivimäe (Toronto University) Daniele Monticelli (Tallinn University) Rein Raud (Tallinn University, Helsinki University) Erki Russow (Tallinn University) Thomas Salumets (University of British Columbia) Anne Tamm (Firenze University) Grigori Utgof (Tallinn University) Tallinn University PLAYGROUNDS AND BATTLEFIELDS CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT Edited by Francisco Martínez and Klemen Slabina TLU Press Tallinn 2014 ACTA Universitatis Tallinnensis Acta Universitatis Tallinnensis. Humaniora Playgrounds and Battlefields Critical Perspectives of Social Engagement Keywords: 1. Playground 2. Critical Spatial Theory 3. Topographies of Change 4. Social Transformations 5. Philosophy of Social Actions 6. Experience of Time 7. Radical Politics 8. Game Metaphors Proofreader: Daniel Warren Layout: Sirje Ratso Maquette: Rakett Copyright: authors, 2014 Copyright: Tallinn University Press, 2014 ISSN 2228-026X ISBN 978-9985-58-774-4 TLU Press Narva mnt. 25 10120 Tallinn www.tlupress.com Printed in Estonia by Alfapress I WILL NEVER BE YOUNG AGAIN Jaime Gil de Biedma1 That life was serious one becomes aware later: like all youth, I came to take life by storm. To leave a mark I wanted and depart at the moment of applause to grow old, to die—were only the dimensions of the theatre. But time has passed and the ugly truth raised its head: to grow old, to die is the only plot of the play. 1 ‘No volveré a ser joven’, Jaime Gil de Biedma. Poemas póstumos (1968). Translated by Francisco Martínez. CONTENTS Preface: The Playgrounds and Battlefields Project Klemen and Francisco .................................11 Foreword: Playground Mihhail Lotman (Tallinn University) ....................15 Introduction: What Is Your Occupation? Playgrounds and Battlefields of Our Time Francisco Martínez (Tallinn University) ..................21 A. DON’T MENTION THE CAGE Playground: The Range of a Metaphor Klemen Slabina and Francisco Martínez (Tallinn University) ...................................51 All the World’s a Stage… or a Cage? Siobhan Kattago (Tallinn University) ....................65 Governing the Freedom to Choose: Biosocial Power and the Playground as a ‘School of Conduct’ Kevin Ryan (National University of Ireland, Galway) .......85 Play, Repetition and Testimony: Meditations on Death and Truth Tom Frost (University of Sussex) .......................109 Artwork: Unemployment Will Tear Us Apart Flo Kasearu (Estonian Academy of Arts) ................130 8 Contents B. OVER THE FENCE Post-socialist Modernity… Francisco Martínez (Tallinn University) .................139 Thou Shalt Not Fail To Do Good: Humanitarian Arenas as Playgrounds of the Soul Marcos Farias-Ferreira (University of Lisbon) ............179 Alienation and the Brandless Community: Big Kids in the Sandbox Jaanika Puusalu (Tallinn University) ...................200 Research as a Game of Love Dita Bezdičková (Masaryk University) ..................219 Artwork: Vagrancy Emeli Theander (Berlin University of Arts) ...............234 C. STREET LEGAL The Neo-Flâneur Amongst Irresistible Decay Patrick Laviolette (Tallinn University) ..................243 The Transgressive Geographies of Daily Life Alastair Bonnett (Newcastle University) .................271 Flea Market and Urban Theatricality (Case Study of Berlin Mauerpark) Oleg Pachenkov and Lilia Voronkova (Centre for Independent Social Research of St. Petersburg) ........294 Artwork: Some Places Where My Heart Was Broken Anne Vatén (Lahti Institute of Design) ..................317 Contents 9 D. ANOTHER SIDE OF FREEDOM The Urban Geography of Swedish Non-Citizenship Helena Holgersson (University of Gothenburg) ...........345 The Spanish 15M Movement and the Return of the Political Patricia García Espín and Manuel Fernández García (Institute for Advanced Social Studies, CSIC Spain) .......361 The Art of Capital: Artistic Identity and the Paradox of Valorisation Benjamin Noys (University of Chichester) ................384 Artwork: Operational Culture Kristina Norman (Estonian Academy of Arts) ............401 E. GENEALOGY OF THE FUTURE From Battlefields to Playgrounds: Ethnic and National Identity of the Children of Freedom Madli Maruste (Goldsmith University of London) ........407 Artwork: Children in the City: Imagining Urban Spaces Pille Runnel and Ehti Järv (Estonian National Museum) ...425 Exploring the Power Dimensions of Festivals Alessandro Testa (University of Pardubice) ..............440 Anti Anti-Utopianism: Imagining Alternative Spaces Sean Homer (American University of Bulgaria) ...........468 Indignity of Speaking for Others: Occupy Wall Street and the Crisis of Political Representation Tarmo Jüristo (Tallinn University) ......................481 Readers’ Afterword ........................................ 490 Abstracts ...............................................493 Note of Contributors .....................................506 PREFACE THE ‘PlAYGROUNDS AND BATTLEFIELDS’ PROJECT As humans, we are concerned about social changes, how they affect our everyday lives and what reflective tools we have to approach them. The conception of this book came up in an informal context, where the playground was described in relation to one of the editor’s children and evolved as an allegory to analyse social phenomena. Very modest in its origin, the project grew over our expectations, involving academically well-established participants in compiling high quality scientific writings. In total, the volume reveals 25 contributions: 18 chapters, the introduction, foreword, and five art works. In the process of selec- tion of the material, we have given preference to contributions aim- ing towards refreshment of thought (even if departing from the dogmatism of the various literatures and standards of established disciplines) and having a seminal potential. This is related to the final aim of the editors, which is to expand the epistemological tool- kit in the studies of contemporary social phenomena and to find meaningful connections, motivations, or influences of their con- temporary occurrence. The background of the contributors is rather diverse and dif- ferent authors have followed different methodological principles. We originally encouraged the authors to observe the contemporary reality via the optics of playgrounds and battlefields, to use these concepts to access to contemporary