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Between Autonomy and Hybridity: Urban Struggles Within the 15M Movement in Spain

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Urban Uprisings

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology ((PSEPS))

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Abstract

The 15M or Indignados movement appeared on the public stage on 15 May 2011 with a massive demonstration that took place simultaneously in more than 57 Spanish cities after a call launched by a coalition of groups then named DRY (Democracia Real Ya, ‘True Democracy Now’). Their first manifesto opposed the austerity and neoliberal policies implemented by the social-democratic government of the PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) in the last period of its term in power, after the global financial crisis of 2008. The conservative party, PP (Partido Popular), was implementing similar measures in the municipalities and regional governments under their control, so they were criticised as well. When the PP won the general election in November 2011 and intensified the austerity measures, the outrage increased. Since its inception, the 15M movement gained wide social recognition and was able to mobilise thousands of activists and sympathisers, especially when dozens of squares in major city centres were occupied with tents, sit-ins, public assemblies and various improvised infrastructures.

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Acknowledgements

A significant improvement on the original version of this paper has been possible thanks to the valuable comments made by the participants in the workshop ‘Understanding Urban Uprisings, Protests and Movements: European Cities and the Crisis of Neoliberalism’ (8–9 October 2014, University of Gothenburg) and, in particular, by Margit Mayer, Håkan Thörn, Ove Sernhede and Gulcin Lelandais. This research is supported by a grant of the City University of Hong Kong: ‘Multi-Dimensional Outcomes of Occupy Movements: A Comparison between Hong Kong and Madrid’ (project number 7200435-POL).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. City University of Hong Kong, ■, Hong Kong

    Miguel A. Martínez López

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  1. Miguel A. Martínez López
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. J.F. Kennedy Institute for North America, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Margit Mayer

  2. University of Gothenburg, Goteborg, Sweden

    Catharina Thörn

  3. Department of Sociology & Work Science, University of Gothenburg, Goteborg, Sweden

    Håkan Thörn

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© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)

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López, M.A.M. (2016). Between Autonomy and Hybridity: Urban Struggles Within the 15M Movement in Spain. In: Mayer, M., Thörn, C., Thörn, H. (eds) Urban Uprisings. Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50509-5_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50509-5_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-50492-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-50509-5

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