Introduction: Social Change, Political Discontent, and Urban Movements in Southern European Cities

The increase in inequality and residential segregation is causing an objective worsening of the living conditions of a significant part of the population in the European Mediterranean countries. In large cities, this is particularly tangible in job insecurity, reduction of household income, difficulties in accessing housing, energy poverty, and even to adequate access to food. In European Mediterranean countries the city, which has traditionally been considered a space for social redistribution, tends to fragment, to become more unequal, denying a good part of its population the promises of well-being and individual freedom, as well as the possibility of developing autonomous life projects. In the current situation the evolution of collective, solidarity, and inclusive responses to social problems is of crucial importance. Its extension and consolidation may contribute to promoting a plausible alternative both to the submission of public powers to economic interests and to the emerging post-fascism. However, it is clear that the movements defending the freedoms and rights of citizens must face important limitations, both in terms of their capacity for social mobilization and their ability to enhance public policies. Moreover, to consolidate their progress, they must be able not only to resist attacks on citizen rights but also to conceive and offer alternatives for a more equitable, democratic, and sustainable future. To study the potentialities and limitations of these movements, the essays included in this volume are dedicated.