‘I Learned to Make a Lot More Space in Myself for Other People’ Examining the Negotiation of Hegemonic and Alternative Values in the Urban Commons

In this article, we examine the urban commons through the concept of subjectivity. We attend to the ways in which alternative and hegemonic values are negotiated among different commoners and within individual commoners. Which challenges do commoners face as they pursue alternative values within the context of capitalist urbanization? What sorts of subjectivities do people develop by participating in the commons? How do different commoner subjectivities form, align or collide? Drawing on a study of three housing projects in the Netherlands, we show how commoners struggle to redefine hegemonic notions of work, responsibility and sharing. Our findings suggest that realizing the commons is not just about finding the right institutional configuration, but hinges on the development of alternative dispositions, affects and relations.