Urban Activism in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Drawing on these multi-disciplinary perspectives, the volume hopes to overcome distances and trigger dialogues in several respects and realms: among the interested public, activists, 'urban decision makers' and scholars in East and West, North and South alike. With the rise of grassroots initiatives in urban spaces across Eastern Europe and Eurasia in recent decades, Urban Activism in Eurasia addresses three central questions: What are distinctive features and the dynamic of urban activism in contemporary post-Soviet cities? How urban civic engagement does evolve on a micro level and in larger-scale processes? How a variety of group and individuals who claim to the city space and its development find their own ways to initiate local urban change. The volume challenges the prevailing simplistic view of weak, passive and scared citizens in Eastern European and Eurasian cities, which are often seen to be predominantly shaped by neo-liberal and authoritarian structures. Instead, we argue for the vibrant diversity and dynamism in the contemporary urban civic activism in Eurasia. Employing diverse sources such as intriguing photographs, interviews with local activists and scholarly reports from the field of anthropology, urban planning, architecture, political sciences and sociology, the edited volume explores the creativity and novelty of Eurasian urban grass roots activism. Drawing on these multi-disciplinary perspectives, the volume hopes to overcome distances and trigger dialogues in several respects and realms: among the interested public, activists, ‘urban decision makers’ and scholars in East and West, North and South alike. With contributions by Andrei Semenov, Levon Abrahamian, Gayane Shagoyan, Nadia Douglas, Oleg Pachenkov, Lila Voronkova, Christian Frohlich, Lela Rekviashvili, Esma Berikishvili, David Sichinava, Alexander Formosov, Nazaket Azimli, Otto Habeck, Jonas Büchel, Carola S. Neugebauer, Olena Denysenko and Tsypylma Darieva.