Paper Short Abstract:

The paper explores how radical optimism is located in small actions, moments of collective resistance and social togetherness in a police occupied neighbourhood, that can inform Anthropological pedagogy by centring socially caring critique.

Paper Abstract:

In this paper, I attempt to draw lessons from collective practices of resistance in an Athenian neighbourhood, finding itself under a policed 'real estate of emergency', where locating and practicing radical optimism becomes a mechanism of social survival. Drawing from my own experience of radical optimism while researching self-organised migrant/refugee squatted communities there under a context of increased oppression, for example, when supporting someone to border-cross, participating in collective assemblies, in housing and anti-gentrification protests or getting someone out of detention, in collective public dancing or sharing a foraged meal in a refugee camp, I try to analyse the common attributes of these experiences and theorise a critique of both systemic oppression and of the solidarity movement's micro-aggressions, that could inform vision(s) of engaged Anthropological pedagogies which can mobilise critique for the sake of a common(s) good.