The objectives of our online course – Mooc Municipality is Ours! about municipalism and democratic radicalism.
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Let’s go !
Module 1 – Video introduction to the online course MUNICIPALITY IS OURS! 8 steps to understand Municipalism.
Municipalism, what’s it all about?
Module 2 – Onboarding video
Municipalism, a historical process dating back to antiquity
Interview with Jonathan Durand Folco – Ph.D. and professor at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.
Author of A nous la ville! Traité de municipalisme (“The City is Ours! Treatise on Municipalism.”) (EcoSociété Editions).
- When did municipalism begin?
- How is municipalism related to local democracy?
- What municipalist experiences can be found historically?
- Is municipalism also a movement of social and economic transformation?
- How is municipalism expressed today?
Municipalism as political Utopia
Interview with Corinne Morel Darleux – Regional councilor and campaigner for the eco-socialist project.
- Is municipalism an answer to the limits of our democracy?
- Is municipalism in Rojava an ideal experience?
- Is municipalism an answer to environmental collapse?
- What are the limits of the local level?
- How do we define libertarian municipalism?
Municipalism and Climate Emergency
Interview with Nicolas Haeringer – Global Organiser 350.org
- How does municipalism follow the evolution of social movements in the last decade?
- Do you think that occupying institutions is a credible and sustainable alternative?
- Can municipalism offer an answer to the environmental crisis?
Right to the city and municipalism
Interview with Magali Fricaudet – activist for The Right to Housing from AITEC.
- How is municipalism related to the struggle for the right to the city?
- Municipalism: Social or political movement?
- What do you consider to be the main traits of the municipalist movement?
- What is a citizen platform and how does it work?
- Does municipalism question the place and role of the State?
Let’s get started! From the spark to the mobilizations
Module 3 – Onboarding video.
Social movements, ‘gilets jaunes’ and municipalism
Interview with Killian Martin – Student at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences.
- What elements do you think trigger municipalist initiatives?
- Do we have the ingredients today for a municipalist movement in France?
- Is the future of Yellow Vests in municipalism?
From urban struggle to a municipalist plateform (Ne Da(vi)mo Beograd – Serbia)
Interview with Natalija Simovic and Radomir Lazović – Members of ‘Ne Da(vi)mo Beograd’ (‘Let’s not d(r)own Belgrade’)
- What was the spark of your municipalist mobilization ?
- What were the different steps and strategies to achieve your goal as a municipalist movement ?
- What is the opinion of ‘Ne Davimo Beograd’ towards the perspective to become a political party ?
- What are the ingredients of the fertile ground in Belgrade ?
- What are the main obstacles your movement is facing ?
Mobilization strategy in Zagreb (Croatia)
Interview with Vedran Horvat – Member of Zagreb je NAS (Zagreb Is Ours)
- What were the sparks of your municipalist mobilization ?
- What were the different steps and strategies used for your municipalist mobilization ?
- Is the mobilization still going now ?
Take power to share it : The example of Saillans
Interview with Annie Morin and Vincent Beillard – First Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Saillans.
- What were the sparks and then the different stages for the participatory list in Saillans?
- How is governance implemented in Saillans?
- Has this changed the way residents perceive the elected official’s role?
- Does it work? What are the ingredients for success?
- How does this mode of operation change the decisions you make?
- What do participatory lists like yours need the most to be prepared and function well?
Making Alliances – Campaign Convergence, Political Confluence?
Module 4 – Onboarding video.
From the tide to the town hall,
the experience of Marea Atlántica (A Coruña)
Interview with Claudia Delso – local elected official (“participation and democratic innovation”)
- When and how did Marea Atlántica become a municipal confluence platform?
- What steps were taken to move from confluence to the local government of A Coruña?
- What obstacles did you face? How did you overcome them?
- What are the keys to understanding your success?
- On what principles did you build your confluence platform?
- How does Marea Atlántica organize its governance?
- And the relationship with social movements?
- How does Marea Atlántica manage its relationship with the municipal government?
- And the enjoyable part of all this adventure?
- Some advice for the undecided?
The experience of Archipel Citoyen in Toulouse
Interview with Jonas Georges – facilitator in collective intelligence
- What is Archipel Citoyen of Toulouse?
- What made you decide to run for the 2020 municipal elections?
- How do you envisage the confluence, the alliance with other more traditional political forces/parties?
- How is the list made up?
- What are the commitments of the candidates on the list?
- What is radical democracy for Archipel Citoyen?
- What are your main limitations and difficulties?
- How do you integrate in your approach the connection with the inter-communal level?
Restoring Confidence – The values of municipalisme
Module 5 – Onboarding video.
When cities defend hospitality and humanity (Grande-Synthe)
Interview with Damien Carême – Mayor of Grande-Synthe (2001-2019)
- 00:35 What does it mean “to put hospitality back in the heart of municipalities”?
- 04:31 Can international networks of welcoming cities propose alternatives to closing borders?
- 07:12 Is the European level the right one to make the voices heard of cities that are sometimes ahead of the States?
- 09:04 In relation to what values are local public policies implemented in Grande-Synthe?
Transforming the role and representation of elected officials
Interview with Charlotte Marchandise – Deputy mayor for health and community activist
- 00:45 What do you mean by a democracy by and for the people?
- 03:10 How do we make sure that people stay involved throughout the mandate?
- 06:39 What is it to be a “radical Care Bear”?
- 08:31 What lessons have you learnt from laprimaire.org ?
- 12:55 In your opinion, what is municipalism’s challenge in transforming society?
The code of ethics in Valencia en Comu, theory to the test of practice
Interview with Neus Fabregas – City Councilor (2015-2019)
- 00:39 A code of ethics in Valencia en Comú: what for?
- 01:58 What does it talk about?
- 08:05 What were the difficulties, the limits, the assessment?
- 11:55 If you had to do it again, how would you go about it?
Municipalism and feminisation of politics
Interview with Laura Roth – Researcher and activist, co-founder of MINIM.
- 00:35 What does feminisation of politics mean for the municipalist movement ?
- 02:35 Could you explain what does it change in practice ?
- 04:23 What is the impact on leadership?
Democracy by, for and with the people
Module 6 – Onboarding video
Permanent democracy and co-construction in Kingersheim
Interview with Jo Spiegel – Mayor of Kingersheim
- 0:33 What is construction democracy?
- 01:43 How is democracy and citizenship a learning process?
- 02:58 What democratic innovations have been implemented in Kingersheim?
- 05:59 What does it change in terms of positions? (Residents, mayor and elected officials, agents…)
- 08:49 Are leadership and democratic participation compatible?
- 10:07 What does it mean to go from “I” to “we”?
- 11:31 What would be a critical interpretation of municipalism for you?
Radicalize democracy, govern with empathy (the Barcelona experience)
Interview with Gala Pin – Municipal councilor responsible for participation on Barcelona’s city council (2015-2019)
- 00:36 What does “radicalize democracy” mean?
- 02:47 How can we create a positive tension between social movements and elected officials?
- 06:36 In terms of participation, what have you learned?
- 12:03 What does it mean “to govern with empathy”?
New languages and new places : Cambiamo Messina dal Basso experience
Interview with Federico Alagna – Regional Advisor and Eco-Socialist Activist
- 01:01 What are the main lessons you learnt by governing the city during five years ?
- 03:40 What are the new municipalism, new forms of your mobilization outside institution ?
- 05:57 Why “the relationship between movements and administration is the centrepiece of new municipalism”?
- 09:32 What are the principles, values and process to rebuild confidence in people and in institutions ?
- 11:12 How to open public participation and mobilization beyond the same players ?
- 12:35 What is for you the conditions to a successul municipalist mouvement outside institution ?
What are the results ? What public policies favor residents?
Module 7 – Onboarding video
Assessment and challenges of municipalism in Spain and Europe
Interview with Ludovic Lamant – Journalist at Mediapart
- 00:33: How do you assess the last term of the rebel town halls in Spain (2015-2019)?
- 03:06: How do you interpret the election results of the rebel cities in May 2019 in Spain?
- 05:30 How can we analyze the relationship between the Podemos party and the municipalist platforms in Spain?
- 07:15: Does the practice of political power upset the ideal of municipalist democratic radicalism?
- 08:35: Is municipalism the end of political parties and can it survive in the long run?
- 11:23: What is the result of overcoming the traditional powers of municipalities?
12:15: What issues does a European level municipalism have?
What are the results of municipalist policies in Spain? (Atlas del Cambio)
Interview with Ana Mendez – Urbanist and activist
Room for maneuver at municipal level
Module 8 – Onboarding video
Public power and the law – Challenging commons and municipalism
Interview with Sylvia Fredriksson – Designer and researcher (Remix the commons)
- 00:46 How do the commons inspire municipalism?
- 04:26 When the citizens’ initiative brings about change in public power and law: cross-learning between the commons and municipalism.
- 06:38 What European experiences have been an inspiration? The example of the Bologna regulation (Italy)
Culture and municipalism
Interview with Igor Stokfiszewski – Krytyka Polityczna (Poland)
Sergi Escribano – CommonsPolis (Spain)
Lucas Tello – Zemos98 (Spain)
Shelagh Wright & Peter Jenkinson (London)
Does municipalism contribute to change collective imaginary, democratic culture?
Igor Stokfiszewski – Krytyka Polityczna (Poland)
Sergi Escribano – CommonsPolis (Spain)
Lucas Tello – Zemos98 (Spain)
Shelagh Wright & Peter Jenkinson (London)