Distributed Prefiguration in Action: Tensions between Future Projections and Projectification in Translocal Networks of Community-Led Initiatives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1285/i20356609v19n3p971-995Keywords:
community-led initiatives, hyperprojectivity, prefigurative politics, projectification, translocal networksAbstract
This paper explores distributed prefiguration within translocal networks of community-led initiatives. As a particular form of prefigurative politics, distributed prefiguration unfolds across interconnected local contexts. Despite their relevance to many social movements, the organisational processes that enable distributed production of alternative imaginaries remain underexplored. Addressing this gap, we present a comparative case study of three translocal networks of community-led initiatives, focusing on tensions between their future projections and the logic of projectification imposed by funding mechanisms, particularly European Union grants. We investigate two questions: How are distributed prefigurative initiatives’ future projections affected by organisational requirements of projectification? And, how do distributed prefigurative initiatives navigate tensions between future projections and projectification through their funding strategies? Our research draws on 28 semi-structured interviews and participant observation within three major European networks: the Transition Network, the Global Ecovillage Network – Europe, and RIPESS-Europe, the European hub of the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy. We identify direct and indirect tensions emerging in these networks and strategies used to address them. Findings reveal a paradox: while projectification can constrain distributed prefigurative initiatives’ imaginative hyperprojectivity, it may simultaneously foster connections that enable new forms of projective imagination to emerge.
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