Political activism and the PAH (Platform of Mortgage Victims) in Spain

The significance of Franz von Benda-Beckmann's work for the study of power, political agency and legal pluralism at the grassroots

Datos Bibliográficos

ID14799942
AutoresMonique Nuijten (Wageningen University & Research, autor de correspondencia)
Año2015
Volumen47
Número3
Páginas476-492
Fecha de publicación2015-09-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0732-9113 • E-ISSN: 2305-9931
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07329113.2015.1113683
OpenAlexW2541473859
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas42

This article looks at the contribution of Franz von Benda-Beckmann to the analysis of political agency at the grassroots, especially the ways in which people at the margins and political activists contest existing structures of power. It examines in particular the relevance of von Benda-Beckmann's approach for the analysis of the PAH (Platform of Mortgage Victims) in Spain, a social movement that stands up against the wave of house evictions as a result of the economic crisis and the collapse of the housing market.It is argued that people who have a contested relation with existing structures of power express normative values that differ from state rules. This makes legal anthropology in general, and von Benda-Beckmann's approach of legal pluralism in particular, very relevant to this area of study. Von Benda-Beckmann's thoughts about law and legal pluralism are discussed in relation to grassroots politics. The values of his ideas are highlighted as well as analytical points of departure from his views

Agency (philosophy · Epistemology · Grassroots · Law and economics · Normative · Pluralism (philosophy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Philosophy