Free Spaces

Abstract

Free spaces are small‐scale settings within a community or movement that are removed from the direct control of dominant groups, are voluntarily participated in, and generate the cultural challenge that precedes or accompanies political mobilization. Since the term became popular in studies of movements in the 1980s, scholars have sought to better identify the features of particular institutional sites that equip them to spur political challenges. They have also probed the role of free spaces in authoritarian regimes, in right‐wing movements, and in relation to new digital technologies.

Guardians of the Internet: Building and Sustaining the Anonymous Online Community

“…It contributes to the study of how both the technological and cultural elements that constitute online environments entwine to produce conditions that advance or preclude community building in several ways. First, recent studies have focused on the importance of “free spaces”—small-scale settings within a community or movement that are removed from the direct control of dominant groups, are voluntarily participated in, and generate the cultural challenge that precedes or accompanies political mobilization (Polletta & Kretschmer, 1999), to community building and maintenance efforts (e.g., Futrell & Simi, 2004; Rao & Dutta, 2012). This study reveals that free spaces (4chan, /b forum) that exist on the Internet can differ significantly from those that have been portrayed in past studies such as church basements (Morris, 1986) and family homes (Futrell & Simi, 2004).…”

“…The process outlined in the model (Figure 3) begins with the creation of what other studies of community building have referred to as a “free space” (Polletta & Kretschmer, 1999; Rao & Dutta, 2012), that was itself prompted by the frustration of the founder with existing alternative interaction spaces that by not allowing, through programming, for anonymous usernames led to reputation-driven contributions. By introducing a novel technological solution to address his frustration in the form of a highly permissive cyberspace (Calhoun, 1991), the founder inadvertently attracted those seeking a place where they could express themselves freely and investigate new ways of doing things without risking harm to their reputations.…”

Citizens’ Governance Spaces: Democratic Action Through Disruptive Collective Problem-Solving

“…In contrast to the practical protest activities of 'prefigurative politics' (Yates, 2015), participants in CGS are typically not driven by a central utopian vision. The notion of 'free spaces' conveys the autonomous, expressive, contentious aspects of citizen-led governance efforts (see Polletta and Kretschmer, 2013), but is usually linked to social movements and is too capacious for describing the purpose-driven governance work being done (Polletta, 1999).…”

Street smarts and org charts: Professional expertise and the organizational production of urban integration

“…Urban nonprofits play critical roles in violence prevention (Vargas 2016(Vargas , 2019, poverty alleviation (Marwell 2004;Levine 2016Levine , 2021, collective action (Sampson et al 2005;Polletta and Kretschmer 2013), and the formation of social networks (Small 2009a). The extent, density, or diversity of the urban nonprofit sector has shown to be a causal predictor of outcomes such as neighborhood crime (Sampson et al 1999;Sharkey, Torrats-Espinosa & Takyar 2017), the emergence of new ventures (Greve and Rao 2012;Kwon et al 2013), and economic resilience (Goldstein 2018;Schneiberg 2020).…”