Además de las protestas: Movimientos sociales anti-gentrificación y anti-turistificación, política prefigurativa y acción directa en Lisboa y Sevilla

Abstract

In recent years, different cities have intensified the processes of gentrification and touristification. The increase in the value of rents and the liberalization of the real estate market make it difficult for residents to stay, especially in the central areas of large cities, which results in forced displacement and evictions. Many social movements have begun to emerge in this context of increasing urban social inequalities, challenging the current implemented public policies. The social movements' protest and demonstration actions are the face best-known media. This practice constitutes one of the best-known actions within a much broader repertoire. Among the other actions carried out by these movements, the so-called prefigurative policies and various direct-action initiatives stand out. This article proposes to analyze the different actions of the anti-gentrification and anti-tourism social movements in Lisbon and Seville. Both cities have similar contexts of gentrification and the exponential increase in the number of tourists in the last decade. First, the debate on gentrification and touristification will be contextualized. Then, the concepts of prefigurative politics and direct action will be discussed; finally, Lisbon and Seville's cases will be analyzed.