Occupying Space and Time: Enabling Communicative Ecologies for Democracy

Abstract

Recent and older literature on social movements have given special attention to the occupation of public squares and streets as forms of resistance in Latin America and other geographical spaces. The focus, however, has been mainly concentrated on the occupation of space rather than the occupation of time. The space/time tandem is a key issue of contention for local movements and organizations. This chapter analyzes
expressions of dissent in different regions of Latin America whose basis has been the rejection, occupation and creation of a non-neoliberal time, such as the protests in Lima against oil projects in the Peruvian Amazons; the ezln dialogical and decision-making process; the Chilean students’ mobilizations; and the Argentine neighborhood assemblies. These four cases shed light on time as a normative framework that, in the neoliberal context, reduces the chance for a non-market-driven life. It is also, therefore, a fundamental political and communicative element which must be challenged in order to enable the kind of dialogue and discussion necessary for democratic environments.