Las Raices. Spazi di resistenza e dispositivi di protesta

This contribution aims to explore the possible intersections between anthropology and urban studies through the hypothesis that the construction of a direct dialogue between the two disciplines is really important when applied to the analysis of states and dynamics of subordinacy, such as those produced by migration. Starting from this perspective, the work focuses on the case of the Las Raices protest camp in Tenerife, a temporary settlement that emerged as an expression of resistance dynamics in the migrant detention camp. Through the notion of ‘domestic infrastructure’, borrowed from feminist studies and literature, the socio-spatial and urban dynamics that characterise this specific place are investigated. The protest camp is interpreted as an ambivalent space, capable on the one hand of resisting oppressive conditions and norms, and on the other of offering a terrain for the construction of spaces of negotiation. The aim is to identify and analyse specific spatial techniques, thanks to which different types of knowledge from different contexts are mobilised to investigate a place that functions simultaneously as a space for care, protection and confrontation with dominant powers. This reflection allows us to understand the multiple ways in which spaces of marginality can be re-signified and transformed into agents of action and change.