ABSTRACT
The purpose of squatting may vary between housing provision and the performance of a broad range of cultural, economic, and political activities. There are many types of squatters and squats. Sometimes squats are only known due to the protests that their eviction, or threats of eviction, ignite. However, outsiders, including journalists who cover the most repressive and contentious incidents, are rarely aware of the continuous exhibitions, concerts, workshops, talks, and sociability fostered by the voluntary work of several generations of activists and thousands of visitors in many squatted social centres. Most squatters pursue an affordable house or space for organising social activities. There is a long tradition of legal regulations that granted rights to the inhabitants of abandoned properties after a certain number of years of occupation though the hegemony of neoliberalism has fostered the increasing criminalisation of squatting instead. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
