Austerity & Democracy in Athens

This book, based on an empirical form of narration, outlines a short-medium term analysis of the social impact of austerity politics on urban life.. Set in Exarchia, a radical and anti-authoritarian neighbourhood located within the city centre of Athens, Greece, this is an ethnography examining the social struggles and grassroots mobilizations that emerged locally during the crisis. Based on over two years of fieldwork between November 2012 and early 2014, the author brings together participant observation and a period of research-action in one of Exarchia's stekia. One particular pedestrian street is used as a case study - 'Odos Tsamadou' is located near Exarchia Square and here multiple social centres and political activity converge to allow the neighbourhood's climate of solidarity and reciprocity to fully emerge. This book is specifically targeted at academics specialized in the social sciences, ethnography, cultural anthropology and urban studies and more generally at anyone interested in contemporary urban and social development.

Autorentext
Monia Cappuccini is an urban researcher and a professional journalist. Trained in social anthropology, in 2015 she completed her PhD in Urban Planning at Rome's La Sapienza University, earning the additional title of Doctor Europaeus as a result of an academic partnership with the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) in Athens, Greece.

Inhalt
Preface.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Stepping into Exarchia.- 3. The dictatorship did not end in 1973.- 4. This is not a myth.- 5. Number Thirteen.- 6. Number fifteen.- 7. Number ten/a.- 8. The walls of Exarchia.- 9. Greek fire.- 10. Re-visiting urban space: auste-city politics amidst the crisis.- 11. Conclusions.- Index.