Urbansociologins state of the art och forskning om social aktivism för rätten till bostad
I apply for a sabbatical grant with the aim of finalising the writing of two scientific books in English. The first one is a Handbook of Urban Sociology which I am currently editing (contract signed with Edward Elgar publisher). It consists of 41 chapters written by leading scholars in the discipline, including my own contributions. The book represents an important up-to-date overview of the discipline, given the absence of such kind of handbook. In addition to write three chapters, my main role will consist of reviewing all the contributions and check their scientific quality. The second book will be a solo-author monograph in which I will examine housing activism in Spain over more than a decade (2009-2022). In particular, I will present my previous research on this subject and will analyse already gathered empirical data, both qualitative and quantitative. This book will develop a novel approach to evaluate the social, political and economic outcomes of social movements for the right to housing. Both volumes share a sociological perspective in the analysis of current urban and housing issues, with a special focus on grassroots initiatives and their social impacts. The application is aimed at financing a research stay at the Centre for Urban Studies (University of Amsterdam) in the Spring of 2023, hosted by Prof. Justus Uitermark, in order to discuss the contents of these books and enhance my international collaboration with world-class scholars on urban studies.
Final report
Project Title
Urban Sociology’s State of the Art and Research on Social Activism for the Right to Housing
Urbansociologins state of the art och forskning om social aktivism för rätten till bostad
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond: Sabbatical grant SAB22-0060
Prof. Miguel A. Martínez. Uppsala Universitet
Report
The research stay at the CUS (Centre for Urban Studies) and the GPIO Department (both from the University of Amsterdam) from 1 January to 30 August, 2023, has been a very positive and fruitful research period, and it clearly represented a step forward in my academic career. First of all, it was a very productive period in terms of academic writing. Secondly, the goal of establishing and reinforcing international collaboration with world-class scholars on urban studies, was fully accomplished. The institutional and academic environments at the University of Amsterdam were very welcoming and offered me the opportunity to hold many conversations with colleagues working on housing and urban topics, in addition to attend seminars, conferences and working meetings. In particular, I often interacted with colleagues such as Justus Uitermark, Mieke Lopes Cardozo, Nanke Verloo, Rivke Jaffe, Dominic Teodorescu, Cody Hochstenbach, Wouter van Gent, Federico Savini, Carla Huisman, Maria Kaika and Richard Ronald.
Regarding my writing goals, my main priority was to finish the edition of the Handbook on Urban Sociology, consisting of a collective volume with 37 chapters and involving 42 authors. This has been a process that was much more demanding than expected and to which, practically, I devoted most of my working time during the sabbatical period. Fortunately, the manuscript was fully submitted to the publisher (Edward Elgar) by the end of July 2023, although additional queries, images and edits are still under management. The publisher has confirmed the design of the cover and a final publication date by April 2024. From my side, as the general editor, I had to review all the chapters to ensure they fulfil the highest scientific quality. The first versions of the chapters were submitted to me within 2022 so I reviewed them and sent feed-back comments to the authors during the first months of 2023. I also coordinated the review process involving all the contributors to the book. The next stage consisted in reviewing the second versions of the chapters and providing authors with new comments and editorial remarks, following the publisher’s guidelines. For many chapters I even had to give a third round of comments. Additionally, during the same period, I also wrote one chapter (13,000 words), the general introduction of the Handbook (12,500 words) and a final chapter of conclusions (12,600 words). I am confident that my own writings in this Handbook will not only fill a remarkable gap in the academic literature of urban sociology, but also will set a general framework about the accumulated knowledge in this discipline and an influential research agenda for the future. I am also highly satisfied with the contents and quality of the chapters that are included in the Handbook, which are grouped in the five following themes:
Part I (6 chapters) ‘Society, State, Capitalism, and Cities’ examines theoretical debates and some empirical illustrations that mainly frame urban sociology inquiry according to macro-historical circumstances. The global expansion of capitalist markets and forms of social domination are at the core of these analyses, which lead to highlight class relations, social reproduction through housing, the capitalist constraints over the local state, and the rise of neoliberalism and financialisation.
Part II (8 chapters) ‘Revisiting Debates in Urban Sociology’ continues with the review of some of the major theoretical approaches in urban sociology. The included chapters discuss approaches to the study of gentrification, neighbourhood effects, race, and gender, and the contributions of authors such as Pierre Bourdieu, Henri Lefebvre, and Axel Honneth. Authors also include some references to their own research that help reinforce their views of the debates.
Part III (7 chapters) ‘Socio-Spatial Segregations’ encompasses chapters dealing with both theoretical overviews and empirical case studies about the manifold expressions of urban inequalities. Marginalisation, discrimination, violence, gentrification, and social mixture represent some of the social conflicts that have a crucial spatial component. These topics are tightly related to other socio-spatial phenomena such as gender, race, policing, schooling, informal settlements, and environmental issues.
Part IV (8 chapters) ‘The Housing Question’ places the production of dwelling and the capitalist speculation with the social needs of housing at the centre of urban inquiry. While some chapters investigate the role of real estate developers, landlords, and housing authorities, other chapters reveal collective actions of residents, tenants, migrants, non-binary people, squatters, and housing commoners.
Part V (6 chapters) ‘Socially-shaped Cities’ provides a broader view to urban life. It covers processes of citizen participation in relation to local policies, informality in both Global North and Global South cities, the hardships experienced by migrant domestic workers in a global city, the effects of neoliberalism in the configuration of public urban spaces, and the social role of universities in cities.
As mentioned, this Handbook on Urban Sociology will represent an important novelty in the field of urban studies where sociological perspectives have not been compiled in a systematic manner over the last two decades. The book thus provides an updated start of the art of urban sociology in which I have ensured that critical approaches to understanding urban and housing activism are well represented within.
My second major goal for the sabbatical period was to advance the writing of a solo-author monograph on the housing movement in Spain, in which I plan to present my previous research on this subject and analyse already gathered empirical data, both qualitative and quantitative. The principal aim of this book is to examine social activism for the right to housing in Spain over more than a decade (2009-2022). This book is mostly based on the various scientific articles on this topic that I have already published, but enhanced with a more comprehensive explanation of the impacts achieved by grassroots protests and organising on housing affairs.
It is worth noting that during my stay in Amsterdam I was still involved in writing with other researchers three articles resulting from previous studies related to the same topic – housing activism in Spain. Therefore, many of my energies and writing time were devoted to conclude these articles and respond the reviewers’ comments from the journals to which they were submitted. One of these articles was eventually published in March 2023: Rossini, L., Martínez, M. & García, A. (2023) The configuration of a multi-pronged housing movement in Barcelona. Partecipazione e Conflitto DOI 10.1285/i20356609v16i1p63. The second article has been resubmitted to the journal once we responded to the referees’ comments – which were very positive, in general – so we expect a prompt online publication: Vidal, L., Gil, J. & Martínez, M. (forthcoming) Accommodating Generation Rent. Unsettling dominant discourses on rental housing in Catalonia and Spain. Urban Studies. A third article has been already accepted for publication: Gutiérrez-Cueli, I., Gil, J., Martínez, M. & García, A. (forthcoming) The housing struggle of working-class migrant women through a double horizon of political temporality. Housing, Theory & Society.
Hence, I plan to incorporate many of these recent findings in my own solo-author book, which yet is a work in progress that I expect to conclude during this 2023-24 academic year. Once the book is in more advanced stage, I will submit my proposal to a major publisher (Oxford/Cambridge University Press, preferably). I thus hope to keep using the applied funds for open access and production costs of this monograph within the extended period of writing.
This book on the Spanish housing movement will contribute to international debates and research on social movements and housing studies, especially those investigating the roots and social consequences of the current housing crisis. My focus on the multiple impacts of housing movements will add novel explanatory frameworks and empirical evidence aiming to guide policies which enact the right to housing.
During this sabbatical period, I also wrote and submitted another article, which has already been accepted for publication: Martínez, M. (forthcoming) Activist Research as a Methodological Toolbox to Advance Public Sociology. Sociology. Some of the contents of this article are an extension of my arguments in the chapter I wrote for the Handbook. Simultaneously, over these past months I was also involved in another book project in Spanish language, which is now in its last stage: Centros Sociales Autogestionados [Self-Managed Social Centres]. Madrid: Akal. This is popular science book that I have been writing with another Spanish academic (Dr. Ibán Díaz-Parra) once we signed a contract with the publisher (Akal) last year. It explains the history of different expressions of spaces for social gathering, reproduction and grassroots politics, often in interaction with claims to housing rights. The main geographical focus of the book are Spain and Latin America. We expect the final publication of the book in early 2024.
Urban Sociology’s State of the Art and Research on Social Activism for the Right to Housing
Urbansociologins state of the art och forskning om social aktivism för rätten till bostad
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond: Sabbatical grant SAB22-0060
Prof. Miguel A. Martínez. Uppsala Universitet
Report
The research stay at the CUS (Centre for Urban Studies) and the GPIO Department (both from the University of Amsterdam) from 1 January to 30 August, 2023, has been a very positive and fruitful research period, and it clearly represented a step forward in my academic career. First of all, it was a very productive period in terms of academic writing. Secondly, the goal of establishing and reinforcing international collaboration with world-class scholars on urban studies, was fully accomplished. The institutional and academic environments at the University of Amsterdam were very welcoming and offered me the opportunity to hold many conversations with colleagues working on housing and urban topics, in addition to attend seminars, conferences and working meetings. In particular, I often interacted with colleagues such as Justus Uitermark, Mieke Lopes Cardozo, Nanke Verloo, Rivke Jaffe, Dominic Teodorescu, Cody Hochstenbach, Wouter van Gent, Federico Savini, Carla Huisman, Maria Kaika and Richard Ronald.
Regarding my writing goals, my main priority was to finish the edition of the Handbook on Urban Sociology, consisting of a collective volume with 37 chapters and involving 42 authors. This has been a process that was much more demanding than expected and to which, practically, I devoted most of my working time during the sabbatical period. Fortunately, the manuscript was fully submitted to the publisher (Edward Elgar) by the end of July 2023, although additional queries, images and edits are still under management. The publisher has confirmed the design of the cover and a final publication date by April 2024. From my side, as the general editor, I had to review all the chapters to ensure they fulfil the highest scientific quality. The first versions of the chapters were submitted to me within 2022 so I reviewed them and sent feed-back comments to the authors during the first months of 2023. I also coordinated the review process involving all the contributors to the book. The next stage consisted in reviewing the second versions of the chapters and providing authors with new comments and editorial remarks, following the publisher’s guidelines. For many chapters I even had to give a third round of comments. Additionally, during the same period, I also wrote one chapter (13,000 words), the general introduction of the Handbook (12,500 words) and a final chapter of conclusions (12,600 words). I am confident that my own writings in this Handbook will not only fill a remarkable gap in the academic literature of urban sociology, but also will set a general framework about the accumulated knowledge in this discipline and an influential research agenda for the future. I am also highly satisfied with the contents and quality of the chapters that are included in the Handbook, which are grouped in the five following themes:
Part I (6 chapters) ‘Society, State, Capitalism, and Cities’ examines theoretical debates and some empirical illustrations that mainly frame urban sociology inquiry according to macro-historical circumstances. The global expansion of capitalist markets and forms of social domination are at the core of these analyses, which lead to highlight class relations, social reproduction through housing, the capitalist constraints over the local state, and the rise of neoliberalism and financialisation.
Part II (8 chapters) ‘Revisiting Debates in Urban Sociology’ continues with the review of some of the major theoretical approaches in urban sociology. The included chapters discuss approaches to the study of gentrification, neighbourhood effects, race, and gender, and the contributions of authors such as Pierre Bourdieu, Henri Lefebvre, and Axel Honneth. Authors also include some references to their own research that help reinforce their views of the debates.
Part III (7 chapters) ‘Socio-Spatial Segregations’ encompasses chapters dealing with both theoretical overviews and empirical case studies about the manifold expressions of urban inequalities. Marginalisation, discrimination, violence, gentrification, and social mixture represent some of the social conflicts that have a crucial spatial component. These topics are tightly related to other socio-spatial phenomena such as gender, race, policing, schooling, informal settlements, and environmental issues.
Part IV (8 chapters) ‘The Housing Question’ places the production of dwelling and the capitalist speculation with the social needs of housing at the centre of urban inquiry. While some chapters investigate the role of real estate developers, landlords, and housing authorities, other chapters reveal collective actions of residents, tenants, migrants, non-binary people, squatters, and housing commoners.
Part V (6 chapters) ‘Socially-shaped Cities’ provides a broader view to urban life. It covers processes of citizen participation in relation to local policies, informality in both Global North and Global South cities, the hardships experienced by migrant domestic workers in a global city, the effects of neoliberalism in the configuration of public urban spaces, and the social role of universities in cities.
As mentioned, this Handbook on Urban Sociology will represent an important novelty in the field of urban studies where sociological perspectives have not been compiled in a systematic manner over the last two decades. The book thus provides an updated start of the art of urban sociology in which I have ensured that critical approaches to understanding urban and housing activism are well represented within.
My second major goal for the sabbatical period was to advance the writing of a solo-author monograph on the housing movement in Spain, in which I plan to present my previous research on this subject and analyse already gathered empirical data, both qualitative and quantitative. The principal aim of this book is to examine social activism for the right to housing in Spain over more than a decade (2009-2022). This book is mostly based on the various scientific articles on this topic that I have already published, but enhanced with a more comprehensive explanation of the impacts achieved by grassroots protests and organising on housing affairs.
It is worth noting that during my stay in Amsterdam I was still involved in writing with other researchers three articles resulting from previous studies related to the same topic – housing activism in Spain. Therefore, many of my energies and writing time were devoted to conclude these articles and respond the reviewers’ comments from the journals to which they were submitted. One of these articles was eventually published in March 2023: Rossini, L., Martínez, M. & García, A. (2023) The configuration of a multi-pronged housing movement in Barcelona. Partecipazione e Conflitto DOI 10.1285/i20356609v16i1p63. The second article has been resubmitted to the journal once we responded to the referees’ comments – which were very positive, in general – so we expect a prompt online publication: Vidal, L., Gil, J. & Martínez, M. (forthcoming) Accommodating Generation Rent. Unsettling dominant discourses on rental housing in Catalonia and Spain. Urban Studies. A third article has been already accepted for publication: Gutiérrez-Cueli, I., Gil, J., Martínez, M. & García, A. (forthcoming) The housing struggle of working-class migrant women through a double horizon of political temporality. Housing, Theory & Society.
Hence, I plan to incorporate many of these recent findings in my own solo-author book, which yet is a work in progress that I expect to conclude during this 2023-24 academic year. Once the book is in more advanced stage, I will submit my proposal to a major publisher (Oxford/Cambridge University Press, preferably). I thus hope to keep using the applied funds for open access and production costs of this monograph within the extended period of writing.
This book on the Spanish housing movement will contribute to international debates and research on social movements and housing studies, especially those investigating the roots and social consequences of the current housing crisis. My focus on the multiple impacts of housing movements will add novel explanatory frameworks and empirical evidence aiming to guide policies which enact the right to housing.
During this sabbatical period, I also wrote and submitted another article, which has already been accepted for publication: Martínez, M. (forthcoming) Activist Research as a Methodological Toolbox to Advance Public Sociology. Sociology. Some of the contents of this article are an extension of my arguments in the chapter I wrote for the Handbook. Simultaneously, over these past months I was also involved in another book project in Spanish language, which is now in its last stage: Centros Sociales Autogestionados [Self-Managed Social Centres]. Madrid: Akal. This is popular science book that I have been writing with another Spanish academic (Dr. Ibán Díaz-Parra) once we signed a contract with the publisher (Akal) last year. It explains the history of different expressions of spaces for social gathering, reproduction and grassroots politics, often in interaction with claims to housing rights. The main geographical focus of the book are Spain and Latin America. We expect the final publication of the book in early 2024.