(Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development

Steffen Bohm; Ana Cecilia Dinerstein; Andre Spicer

doi:10.1080/14742830903442485

(Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development

Steffen Bohm, Ana Cecilia Dinerstein, Andre Spicer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

132 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

In this paper we interrogate the demand and practice of autonomy in social movements. We begin by identifying three main conceptions of autonomy: (1) autonomous practices vis-agrave-vis capital; (2) self-determination and independence from the state; and (3) alternatives to hegemonic discourses of development. We then point to limits associated with autonomy and discuss how demands for autonomy are tied up with contemporary re-organizations of: (1) the capitalist workplace, characterized by discourses of autonomy, creativity and self-management; (2) the state, which increasingly outsources public services to independent, autonomous providers, which often have a more radical, social movement history; and (3) regimes of development, which today often emphasize local practices, participation and self-determination. This capturing of autonomy reminds us that autonomy can never be fixed. Instead, social movements' demands for autonomy are embedded in specific social, economic, political and cultural contexts, giving rise to possibilities as well as impossibilities of autonomous practices.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	17-32
Number of pages	16
Journal	Social Movement Studies
Volume	9
Issue number	1
Early online date	13 Jan 2010
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14742830903442485
Publication status	Published - Jan 2010

Bibliographical note

Steffen Böhm is Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Essex. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the political economy of organization and management. He is a co-founder of the open-access journal ephemera: theory & politics in organization (www.ephemeraweb.org), and co-founder and co-editor of the new open-access journal Interface: A journal for and about social movements (www.interfacejournal.org) as well as the new publishing press MayFlyBooks (www.mayflybooks.org). He is author of Repositioning Organization Theory (Palgrave) and co-editor of Against Automobility (Blackwell) and Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets (Mayfly).

Ana C. Dinerstein is Senior Lecturer in Socioloy, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, Bath. She is a former editor of Capital & Class. She is member of the associate board of Sociology and Corresponding Editor of Historical Materialism. She published extensively on Argentine and Latin American politics and policy, labour and autonomous movements and emancipatory struggles. She is co-editor of The Labour Debate (2002, 2006 in Turkish and 2009 in Spanish), co-author of The Piqueteros Road (2010), ‘(Im)possibilities of autonomy’ (Social Movement Studies, 2010), ‘Hope Movements’ (Development and Change, 2012). Her book Autonomy in Latin America: The Art of Organising Hope (Palgrave MacMillan) is forthcoming (2014).

André Spicer is an Associate Professor (Reader) at Warwick Business School and visiting research fellow at Lund University in Sweden. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the Political Dynamics of Organizations. He is the co-author of Contesting the Corporation (Cambridge) and Unmasking the Entrepreneur (Edward Elgar)

Keywords

autonomy, anti-capitalism, theory, impossibility, social movements

Access to Document

10.1080/14742830903442485

Cite this

@article{06dad6caaa12495dbc1fd77f5aefb290,

title = "(Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development",

abstract = "In this paper we interrogate the demand and practice of autonomy in social movements. We begin by identifying three main conceptions of autonomy: (1) autonomous practices vis-agrave-vis capital; (2) self-determination and independence from the state; and (3) alternatives to hegemonic discourses of development. We then point to limits associated with autonomy and discuss how demands for autonomy are tied up with contemporary re-organizations of: (1) the capitalist workplace, characterized by discourses of autonomy, creativity and self-management; (2) the state, which increasingly outsources public services to independent, autonomous providers, which often have a more radical, social movement history; and (3) regimes of development, which today often emphasize local practices, participation and self-determination. This capturing of autonomy reminds us that autonomy can never be fixed. Instead, social movements' demands for autonomy are embedded in specific social, economic, political and cultural contexts, giving rise to possibilities as well as impossibilities of autonomous practices.",

keywords = "autonomy, anti-capitalism, theory, impossibility, social movements",

author = "Steffen Bohm and Dinerstein, {Ana Cecilia} and Andre Spicer",

note = "Steffen B{\"o}hm is Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Essex. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the political economy of organization and management. He is a co-founder of the open-access journal ephemera: theory & politics in organization (www.ephemeraweb.org), and co-founder and co-editor of the new open-access journal Interface: A journal for and about social movements (www.interfacejournal.org) as well as the new publishing press MayFlyBooks (www.mayflybooks.org). He is author of Repositioning Organization Theory (Palgrave) and co-editor of Against Automobility (Blackwell) and Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets (Mayfly). Ana C. Dinerstein is Senior Lecturer in Socioloy, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, Bath. She is a former editor of Capital & Class. She is member of the associate board of Sociology and Corresponding Editor of Historical Materialism. She published extensively on Argentine and Latin American politics and policy, labour and autonomous movements and emancipatory struggles. She is co-editor of The Labour Debate (2002, 2006 in Turkish and 2009 in Spanish), co-author of The Piqueteros Road (2010), {\textquoteleft}(Im)possibilities of autonomy{\textquoteright} (Social Movement Studies, 2010), {\textquoteleft}Hope Movements{\textquoteright} (Development and Change, 2012). Her book Autonomy in Latin America: The Art of Organising Hope (Palgrave MacMillan) is forthcoming (2014). Andr{\'e} Spicer is an Associate Professor (Reader) at Warwick Business School and visiting research fellow at Lund University in Sweden. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the Political Dynamics of Organizations. He is the co-author of Contesting the Corporation (Cambridge) and Unmasking the Entrepreneur (Edward Elgar) ",

year = "2010",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1080/14742830903442485",

language = "English",

volume = "9",

pages = "17--32",

journal = "Social Movement Studies",

issn = "1474-2837",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - (Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development

AU - Bohm, Steffen

AU - Dinerstein, Ana Cecilia

AU - Spicer, Andre

N1 - Steffen Böhm is Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Essex. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the political economy of organization and management. He is a co-founder of the open-access journal ephemera: theory & politics in organization (www.ephemeraweb.org), and co-founder and co-editor of the new open-access journal Interface: A journal for and about social movements (www.interfacejournal.org) as well as the new publishing press MayFlyBooks (www.mayflybooks.org). He is author of Repositioning Organization Theory (Palgrave) and co-editor of Against Automobility (Blackwell) and Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets (Mayfly). Ana C. Dinerstein is Senior Lecturer in Socioloy, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, Bath. She is a former editor of Capital & Class. She is member of the associate board of Sociology and Corresponding Editor of Historical Materialism. She published extensively on Argentine and Latin American politics and policy, labour and autonomous movements and emancipatory struggles. She is co-editor of The Labour Debate (2002, 2006 in Turkish and 2009 in Spanish), co-author of The Piqueteros Road (2010), ‘(Im)possibilities of autonomy’ (Social Movement Studies, 2010), ‘Hope Movements’ (Development and Change, 2012). Her book Autonomy in Latin America: The Art of Organising Hope (Palgrave MacMillan) is forthcoming (2014). André Spicer is an Associate Professor (Reader) at Warwick Business School and visiting research fellow at Lund University in Sweden. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the Political Dynamics of Organizations. He is the co-author of Contesting the Corporation (Cambridge) and Unmasking the Entrepreneur (Edward Elgar)

PY - 2010/1

Y1 - 2010/1

N2 - In this paper we interrogate the demand and practice of autonomy in social movements. We begin by identifying three main conceptions of autonomy: (1) autonomous practices vis-agrave-vis capital; (2) self-determination and independence from the state; and (3) alternatives to hegemonic discourses of development. We then point to limits associated with autonomy and discuss how demands for autonomy are tied up with contemporary re-organizations of: (1) the capitalist workplace, characterized by discourses of autonomy, creativity and self-management; (2) the state, which increasingly outsources public services to independent, autonomous providers, which often have a more radical, social movement history; and (3) regimes of development, which today often emphasize local practices, participation and self-determination. This capturing of autonomy reminds us that autonomy can never be fixed. Instead, social movements' demands for autonomy are embedded in specific social, economic, political and cultural contexts, giving rise to possibilities as well as impossibilities of autonomous practices.

AB - In this paper we interrogate the demand and practice of autonomy in social movements. We begin by identifying three main conceptions of autonomy: (1) autonomous practices vis-agrave-vis capital; (2) self-determination and independence from the state; and (3) alternatives to hegemonic discourses of development. We then point to limits associated with autonomy and discuss how demands for autonomy are tied up with contemporary re-organizations of: (1) the capitalist workplace, characterized by discourses of autonomy, creativity and self-management; (2) the state, which increasingly outsources public services to independent, autonomous providers, which often have a more radical, social movement history; and (3) regimes of development, which today often emphasize local practices, participation and self-determination. This capturing of autonomy reminds us that autonomy can never be fixed. Instead, social movements' demands for autonomy are embedded in specific social, economic, political and cultural contexts, giving rise to possibilities as well as impossibilities of autonomous practices.

KW - autonomy, anti-capitalism, theory, impossibility, social movements

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954438999&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14742830903442485

U2 - 10.1080/14742830903442485

DO - 10.1080/14742830903442485

M3 - Article

SN - 1474-2837

VL - 9

SP - 17

EP - 32

JO - Social Movement Studies

JF - Social Movement Studies

IS - 1

ER -

(Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

THE MOVEMENT OF THE UNEMPLOYED IN ARGENTINA

Cite this

(Im)possibilities of autonomy: social movements in and beyond capital, the state and development

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

THE MOVEMENT OF THE UNEMPLOYED IN ARGENTINA

Cite this