ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 explores the situated discursive appropriations of the Emmaus mission of solidarity to legitimise the local groups’ existence, positioning and activities. It conceptualises the creation of difference in the Emmaus movement through the notion of interdiscursive clasps with bundles of available discourses in different historical, economic and socio-political traditions. The analysis is based on ethnographic data (texts, assembly recordings and interviews, as well as observations) in two different communities, Emmaus Barcelona and Emmaus London. The first section on Barcelona traces alter-globalist discourses of anti-capitalism and eco-justice, with a focus on a residential project for migrants and socio-political activism for migrants’ rights and against public budget cuts. The second section, on the London community, looks into the discourses of reciprocity and skilling in the Big Society scheme, through the articulation of affective and manual labour for two types of homeless volunteers. In sum, Emmaus Barcelona centres on the collaboration among people from different backgrounds to legitimise their communitarian lifestyle and socio-political activism vis-à-vis the city hall. By contrast, Emmaus London emphasises the moral worth of solidarity with others to activate the homeless through workfare and to provide efficient privatised care on behalf of the state.
