Squatted and Self-Managed Social Centres in Mexico City: Four Case Studies from 1978-2020

Abstract

A number of remarkable examples of self-managed social centres can be found among squatting and autonomous social movements in Mexico; despite sharing some of the traits found in European squatting movements, they also reflect the specificities and characteristics of the Latin American context. This paper aims to describe and compare four of these case studies in Mexico City: Biblioteca Social Reconstruir (BSR, Rebuild Social Library), Escuela de Cultura Popular Martires del 68 (ECPM 68, Martyrs of 68 Popular Culture School), Okupa Che and Chanti Ollin. By examining these four examples in terms of the politics of self-management, it is possible to evaluate the achievements and limitations of this type of urban commons in Mexico from a critical success/failure perspective. Moreover, the different chronology of the four cases allows for an analysis of different stages in the relationship between urban social movements and broad grassroots movements in the country. The methodological approach includes committed ethnography, participant observation and in-depth interviews.