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)
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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)
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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