Paper short abstract:

This paper, based on a year's field work within a squatting collective in Czechia, addresses the friction between activism and anthropology, and questions surrounding the legitimacy and struggles found within both that activism and ethnographies of it.

Paper long abstract:

This paper, based on a year's field work within a squatting collective in Czechia, addresses the friction between activism and anthropology, as well as questions surrounding the legitimacy of both that activism and its ethnography.

As a veteran of several leftist movements in the US and Sweden, my activist past opened doors and helped build rapport within my anthropological research. However, the 'activist' in me struggled with various aspects of the community's functionality - power dynamics, inclusivity, etc. Eventually, I took several oppositional stances on internal issues. This 'internal activism' was met with resistance from several influential members of the community who subsequently used a critique of my anthropology to delegitimize both my activism and my position as an anthropologist. This situation started a chain of events which culminated in the 'activist in me' wanting to leave the movement, while the anthropologist in me still wanted - even needed - to stay and finish the research.

I use this personal experience to reflect on the complexities of combining activism and anthropology - an interaction which often tears 'the researcher' and 'activists' within us in two different directions. This paper further speaks to the debate regarding the legitimacy of activist anthropology as I show that activist anthropologists face a 'dual dilemma': simultaneously torn apart, both internally (by often competing principles and goals), and externally as both 'orthodox' anthropologists (questioning the value and legitimacy of their ethnographic work), and activists (critiquing the merits and validity of their engagement) often delegitimize their involvement.