Caring and commoning in political society: Insights from the Scugnizzo Liberato of Naples

Abstract

Recent research has highlighted the connection between commoning processes and the creation of new infrastructures of care in the areas of Southern Europe which were most affected by austerity policies and by the connected crisis of social reproduction. The objective of this paper is to shed new light on the caring practices organised through and within urban commons by using the theoretical lenses provided by Subaltern Studies, which also explored processes of collective self-organisation, the development of solidarity ties and reclamation of social welfare. The main theoretical reference is provided by the work of Partha Chatterjee on ‘The politics of the governed’. The discussion is conducted through the analysis of the caring practices organised within the Scugnizzo Liberato, one of the urban commons of the city of Naples, located in Southern Italy, investigated through a prolonged process of co-research.