Urban Citizenship: Spaces for Enacting Rights

147© The Au ho (s) 2019 P. Hildeb and e al. (eds.), Pe o ming Ci izenship, Pe o mance Philosophy, h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-319-97502-3_10 U ban Ci izenship: Spaces o Enac ing Righ s Ka h inWildne In au umn 2015, one o many demons a ions in Hambu g caugh my pa icula a en ion. I was no so much he size o he ‘Ne e Mind he Pape s’1 demons a ion ha was imp essi e, i was he dynamics: he b oad ange o pa icipan s, he di e si y o languages, pos e s and signs. I was he i s sizeable demons a ion ha came a he end o he ‘long summe o mig a ion’ (see Hess e al. 2016). The p o es was o ganized by a coali- ion o he e ugee mo emen and i s suppo e s, including many new- come s, e ugees and mig an s who li ed in Hambu g. A e he i s mon h o a collapsing bo de egime wi h people con inuously a i ing— c ossing he Medi e anean Sea and na ional bo de s in Eas e n Eu ope (Hess e al. 2016, p.6)—a ai ly in ense s a e o eme gency was p esen in mos big ci ies wi hin (no he n) Eu ope. Recei ing housands o people daily led o a lack o shel e and basic p o isions. A he same ime, an inc edible mobiliza ion o olun a y suppo and solida i y subs i u ed o supplemen ed he ailing local ins i u ions (Mok e 2015). By No embe 2015, he si ua ion was slowly changing; he ini ial days o eme gency we e le behind and e e yday li e had o be aced. The newly a i ed began o ganizing wi h o he g oups o e ugees and mig an s and engaging K. Wildne (*) Ha enCi y Uni e si y Hambu g, Hambu g, Ge many e-mail: [email p o ec ed] 148 mo e di ec ly wi h he ci y. This also in ol ed claiming hei igh s o social and poli ical pa icipa ion. Poli ical pa icipa ion in his compila ion is discussed as one o he condi ions o ci izenship; his is p ecisely how I would like o ame i he e: ci izenship no as a o mal, ins i u ional and no ma i e a angemen made by na ional go e nmen s, bu as an ac i e p ocess o doing and nego ia ing, pe o med by di e se g oups claiming he igh o pa icipa e (see Isin 2017; C ejic and Vujano ic 2015; Lebuhn 2013). A he ime o he e ugee s uggle, I was in ol ed in a p ojec on u ban lea ning. The me oZones school o u ban ac ion2 was a sel -o ganized, model p ojec o poli ical educa ion and c i ical u ban e lec ion; a hink- ank o pe cep ion and discussion, o heo y and u ban deba es, o p ac ical ools and u ban in e en ions. Focusing on ques ions su ounding he p oduc ion o u ban space, he e ugee mo emen was an impo an aspec —looking a he ways in which new o ms o app op ia ion, nego ia ion and ci izenship in u ban space we e in en ed and, in di e se ways, leading o a e-poli iciza ion o he u ban deba e (Hess and Lebuhn 2014,Lanz 2015, p.487). Based on he hypo hesis ha ci izenship is a pe o ma i e ac (Isin 2017, p.501 .), I would like o ha e a close look a he spa ial condi ions o ac s o ci izenship: How and which kinds o u ban si ua ions can acili- a e o p e en accessibili y o he ci y? A e he e possible spaces whe e ci izenship migh be p o ided o in en ed? How can ci izenship be pe - o med? A e he e ce ain ools, skills and expe ise equi ed in pe o m- ing ci izenship? And i he e a e ce ain spaces which migh acili a e p ac ices o ci izenship, how can ci izenship be enac ed in hose spaces? How can ci izenship as a p ac ice be lea ned? Wha ole could he me o Zones school o u ban ac ion play in p o id- ing space and ools o deba es and in e en ions o poli icize he u ban? In o de o e lec on some o hese ques ions, I will ocus on a ce ain momen and discussion o he me oZones school o u ban ac ion. The ex is a compila ion o ques ions and ideas connec ed o each o he ; i is no a inished analysis. In he same way, he d awings by a is E ic Göng ich a e o be ead as g aphic commen s, in dialogue wi h he ex (Fig.1).3 The me oZones school o U ban ac ion The me oZones school o u ban ac ion was bo n ou o coope a ion be ween he Hambu g-based ini ia i e dock eu ope and me oZones– cen e o u ban a ai s om Be lin. O e a pe iod o wo yea s, a wide ange o K. WILDNER 149 u ban ac o s, ac i is s and o he u ban ci izens me in Be lin und Hambu g o discuss, and pu in o p ac ice, a numbe o concep ual ideas and me h- odological ools om c i ical u ban s udies o he pu pose o u ban explo- a ions and in e en ions beyond academia.4 The e o e, he school ac i ely o ien ed i sel owa ds hose u ban dwell- e s and ac i is s who we e cu ious o hink abou u ban p ac ices in dia- logue, o lea n om one ano he in o de o connec a ious u ban skills, expe iences and expe ise. Unde s anding he ci y as a cosmo-polis, made up o people a i ing om e y di e en global con ex s, we asked ou - sel es how nego ia e spaces o ac ing and belonging. U ban ac ion he e is unde s ood in he sense o he Ge man e m Handeln; i e e s o he ac o nego ia ing, o be dis inguished om wo king o p oducing. In he meaning o Hanna A end ’s concep o Handeln, ac ing is unde s ood as a p ocess o communica ion and p ima ily as a poli ical in e ac ion which akes place in public space (A end 1998). Fig. 1 This wo k by E ic Göng ich commen s on he di e se claims o a cosmo- poli ical ci y and he igh o public space, in e p e ing he e e yday p ac ices o e ugees as poli ical p o es . (me oZones school o u ban ac ion, No embe 2015) URBAN CITIZENSHIP: SPACES FORENACTING RIGHTS 150 Fo six mon hs, he pa icipan s o he me oZones school me con inu- ously—a e en s such as public lec u es, eading ci cles and discussion ‘salons’, pa aking in p ac ical exe cises in wo kshop sessions and a end- ing a ou -day summe camp. The combina ion o heo e ical and p ac ical app oaches, concep ual as well as me hodological ools, exe cises and pe - o ma i e enac men s in public space, p oduced a ious o ma s and si u- a ions o collec i e e lec ion on u ban expe iences and p ac ices. The ques ions and discussions e ol ed a ound issues o p oduc ion and con- igu a ion o u ban spaces on di e en scales: he e ec o collec i e pe - cep ions and ac ions on e e yday li e as well as he in en ion o s a egies and ac ics as modes o [u ban] ci izenship. C ossing bounda ies be ween disciplines—in he eclaiming o hose bo de zones o con ex be ween e e yday p ac ices and ac i ism, a and science, poli ical and u ban educa ion— he me oZones school expe i- men ed wi h di e se o ma s o u ban lea ning. We unde s and u ban lea ning as meaning p ac ices and in e ac ions h ough which knowledge is c ea ed, con es ed and ans o med (McFa lane 2011). This p oduc ion o knowledge, which akes place beyond academic, cul u al o educa ion ins i u ions, is seen as a collabo a i e p ocess o sel -empowe men . Densi ies, di e si ies and unse ledness—conside ed o be p edominan ly u ban—a e made p oduc i e. The e o e, u ban lea ning needs o add ess di e en speeds, ways o speaking and body languages. P ecisely h ough dis up ion—o ou ines, c i ical e lec ion on si ua ions usually aken o be sel -e iden , a emp s a de-no maliza ion and aliena ion—po en ial o (social) change migh eme ge. This way, u ban lea ning and knowledge p oduc ion—use ul in e e yday p ac ices as well as poli ical ac ion— become u ban s a egies in and o hemsel es. Aside om ques ions o he po en ials and limi a ions o he o ma o a school—wi h i s co esponding hie a chies be ween lec u e and lea ne , class oom and public space—one o he main ques ions a ising om ou expe imen was: how he school could posi ion i sel wi hin p e-exis ing poli ical s uc u es, o as a poli ical s uc u e in i s own igh . Could he school p o ide a space o ac as (u ban) ci izens? The DemonsT aTion ‘ne e minD ThePaPe s’ In No embe 2015, he alliance ‘Righ o he Ci y– Ne e Mind he Pape s’ ini ia ed a demons a ion in Hambu g, ocussing on he e e yday si ua ion and he necessi y o poli ical pa icipa ion o he newly a i ed. K. WILDNER 151 The call o he demons a ion asse ed ha he basic condi ion o poli ical pa icipa ion was a human igh equal o he igh o adequa e shel e , he igh o wo k, access o educa ion and medical ca e.5 Unde he slogan ‘Re ugees Welcome means Equal Righ s o All!’, abou 7000 people ook pa . Mon hs be o e he demons a ion, he coali ion o sel -o ganized mig an g oups and suppo e s concen a ed on mobilizing people. Beside a se ies o ne wo king and o ganizing mee ings o he in ol ed ini ia i es, inside he e ugee camps, claims we e discussed, slogans in en ed and pos e s c ea ed; speech wo kshops we e o ganized o p ac ise he use o mic ophones as well as shu le buses o anspo people om hei accom- moda ion so hey migh pa icipa e ac i ely in he demons a ion. The demons a ion ‘Ne e Mind he Pape s’ in No embe 2015 coin- cided wi h he wo kshop weekend o he me oZones School o u ban ac ion in Hambu g. As he subjec ma e o he weekend in ol ed e lec- ion on public space and u ban in e en ion (see Wildne 2003; Yudice 2005), he demons a ion seemed o be a pe ec sou ce (and cause) o discuss and ehea se di e se aspec s o u ban ac ion. Such ques ions a ising Figs. 2 and 3 E ik Göng ich isualizes public space as a agmen ed space o nego ia ion, a in public space is seen as a box composed o p ac ices, places, ac i i ies, si ua ions, and s o ies. (me oZones school o u ban ac ion, No embe 2015) URBAN CITIZENSHIP: SPACES FORENACTING RIGHTS 152 as: Wha is public space? Wha kind o ools and ins umen s migh be help ul o in e ene in public space? How can hey be p ac ised and imple- men ed? (Figs.2 and 3) sPaces anDsT aTegies o engagemenT By means o heo e ical inpu s and lec u es, we s a ed o ha e a close look a a ious spa ial se ings and e en s, looking a discussion in public space as a mode o nego ia ion be ween con adic o y posi ions (Delgado 1999; Wildne 2003). We iden i ied he demons a ion as a well- es ablished means o public poli ical in e en ion, whe eby ci il socie y p ac ices col- lec i i y on he s ee s and dissen is made isible. Alongside he discussion o concep s, a main ocus o he school lay in iden i ying ools and p ac- ices o in e ene o gene a e isibili y in public space (Fig.4). A he school wo kshop, we spli in o h ee g oups o wo k wi h di e - en pe spec i es. One g oup decided o ake he pe spec i e o obse a- ion. Unde he guidance o he cul u al scien is Anne Hu schmid, his g oup p epa ed a se ies o ques ions and a a ie y o o ma s o no a ion (pho og aphy, mapping, use o no e- aking, sound eco ding, in o de o Fig. 4 E ic Göng ich depic s u ban in e en ion as a ehea sal s age, a possibili y o a ci y ma ke ing p ocess. (me oZones school o u ban ac ion, No embe 2015) K. WILDNER 153 ca y ou pa icipan obse a ion a he demons a ion. Spa ial se ings o he ou e and ma e ial elemen s (sound ucks, banne s, pos e s) as well as slogans and shou ing we e egis e ed—p oducing a kind o a chi e o collec ed o elemen s o p o es cul u e, looking a pa icipa ing g oups and di e en ways o pe o m pa icipa ion a he demons a ion. Who is gi ing a speech? Abou wha , and whe e? Who is in i ed o alk? And who claims he igh o speak? The idea o his app oach was o c ea e a egis e ha la e could be used o a discou se-analy ical obse a ion, going beyond he conc e e si ua ion o he demons a ion in Hambu g. The egis e o elemen s become a mani es ed in en o y o poli ics o pa icipa ion ha is o be analysed in he con ex s o ongoing concep ual deba es on he po en ial and limi s o u ban ci izenship (Lebuhn 2015) (Fig.5). A second g oup wo ked on he opic o pe o ma i e speech-ac s as in e en ions in public space.6 In his wo kshop, cho eog aphe Liz Rech and media o Pe a Ba z e lec ed on he pe o ma i e aspec s as co po al in e en ions in public space. Using examples o a is ic u ban in e en- Fig. 5 The d awing by E ic Göng ich e okes a mu ual body, naming he collec i e dance as a poli ical pe o ma i e ac ion. (me oZones school o u ban ac ion, No embe 2015) URBAN CITIZENSHIP: SPACES FORENACTING RIGHTS 154 ion, hey discussed he di e si y o pe o mances and ac i ism conduc ed in public space. By way o p ac ical inpu , hey p o ided echnical and ocal aining. Some o he pa icipan s o he wo kshop we e unused o speaking ou loudly and, du ing he wo kshop, expe ienced hei own oice in his way o he i s ime. A he demons a ion, some o he g oup ook a close look a he sound uck and he mode a o g oup. This g oup no only mode a ed he well-p epa ed speeches by membe s o he di e se communi ies bu , du ing he ma ch, a mobile mic ophone was also used, allowing people on he s ee o pa icipa e by ac i ely speaking o hei si ua ions—being gi en a oice and being hea d. Th ough he school’s exe cise a he dem- ons a ion, pa icipan s expe ienced he impo ance o speech and bodily p esence when pa icipa ing poli ically in public space. Alongside achie - ing an expe ience o collec i i y, his momen suppo ed he indi idual p esence in public space as an impo an momen o pa icipa ion. A hi d g oup on his weekend was guided by E ik Göng ich.7 As an a chi ec and a is , E ik was especially in e es ed o de elop ools ha u ilized w i ing and d awing as ma e ial elemen s o in e ene in o public space. The wo kshop began wi h some d awing exe cises, p oducing sim- ple p o es boa ds ha pa icipan s hen ca ied in o he ou side space. Wha do I wan o say? Wha happens i I ca y my p o es boa d—a slogan as a s a emen —in o public space? How isible o ulne able do I become? Ini ially, he boa ds we e es ed ou in he ga den and s ee s a ound he wo kshop space, a cul u al cen e in Wilhelmsbu g on he pe iphe y o Hambu g. Tha F iday e ening, he neighbou hood was cha ac e ized by e e yday li e, wi h no appa en eason o p o es o demons a ion. This mean ha he ac ion became some hing o an a is ic in e en ion, which le some pa icipan s (a numbe o whom did no wan o ake hei boa ds in o public space) eeling e en mo e ulne able. This si ua ion p oduced discussion ull o con o e sy a ound he ques ion o how he me oZones school could and should ake pa in he demons a ion he nex day. In pa icula , he meaning o in e en ion was discussed: Wha kind o slogans could be in en ed, which message would be app op ia ed— and, in pa icula , would i be a misuse o he e ugee cause o make an in e en ion as a pa o he me oZones school? Finally, some membe s o he g oup decided o go o he ma ke place in he neighbou hood, alking o he people abou he demons a ion and he si ua ion o he e ugees, o e ing o w i e a message on a boa d composed by hei con e sa ion K. WILDNER 155 pa ne s and b ing i o he demons a ion in he ci y cen e he nex day. Mo i a ed by posi i e esponses, e en ually, he school’s pa icipan s did indeed ake pa in he demons a ion, b inging messages om he pe iph- e y o he ci y o he cen e. Again, ques ions su ounding accessibili y, isibili y and possible ac s o pa icipa ion became subjec s o discussion. U ban ciTizenshiP enacTeD The di e en examples o he me oZones school, in he con ex o he dem- ons a ion, showed ce ain condi ions o nego ia ing u ban space as momen s o pe o ming ci izenship. Taking in o accoun he idea ha people become ci izens h ough hei pa icipa ion in he concep ion, cons uc ion and nego ia ion o space (I azabal 2008, p.15), ce ain con- igu a ions o public space and elemen s o ci izenship we e poin ed ou . We ag ee: People become ci izens when hey ac as poli ical subjec s. One o he undamen al cha ac e is ics o a poli ical subjec is o make claims o igh s (Isin 2017, p.501). Hannah A end ’s ph ase ‘ he igh o ha e igh s’ (A end 1998), which add esses he igh o be pa o a poli ical communi y, is he e pushed u he . The igh o make claims o igh s goes beyond he su ace con- cessions o ‘in eg a ion’. Ins ead, i ma ks an ac i e posi ioning o he sub- jec by way o doing hings, such as claiming igh s (Isin 2017). In his sense, ci izenship is no unde s ood as a op-down a angemen made by na ional go e nmen s—so called ‘pape ci izenship’—bu as an ac i e p ocess o doing and nego ia ing, in he sense o a pe o med ci i- zenship (Isin 2017, p.504). Re-concep ualizing he no ion o ci izenship means shi ing i s cen e om he s a e o he people; s essing plu alis models; and including pa icipa o y, inclusi e and insu gen de ini ions o ci izenship (Mi a ab and Wills 2005, p.202). This unde s anding o ci i- zenship un olds o e ime. Since we unde s and he momen o ac ing o engaging as a undamen al momen in which ci izenship comes in o play, we can de ine ci izenship as a ime-based and ongoing p ocess o nego ia- ion (see he in oduc ion o his olume). Ci izenship he e is no a o - mal—bu a subs an i e posi ion—wi h bea ing on an a ay o ci il, poli ical, social economic igh s, including igh s o shel e , wa e , educa ion, and so on (Mi a ab and Wills 2005, p.201). A he same ime, his concep o ci izenship is no ocused on an endpoin — he achie ed s a us—bu is a pe manen deba e, a empo a y and changing condi ion, ac ed ou in ime and space. URBAN CITIZENSHIP: SPACES FORENACTING RIGHTS