Counterspaces against the odds? The production and emancipatory potential of alternative spaces

Abstract Prefigurative action that aims to construct desired transformations pose new and interesting questions centering on the geography of transitioning towards more ecologically-sound and socially-just systems. Geographers and others have employed a number of theoretical lenses to grapple with how best prefigurative activities might be supported, and how they both envision alternative futures and actually ‘do stuff’ to embody that vision. However, missing from this academic conversation is that prefigurative activity is not solely about the alternative material and economic practices, but the creation of alternative social spaces. This paper draws from both a Lefebvrian reading of space and a feminist geographical perspective to explore the spaces of a prefigurative community teeming within the politically and religiously conservative context of Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). An in-depth ethnography was conducted over an 18-month period, employing both participant-observation and semi-structured interviews. The sociality and spatiality of the production of alternative spaces is explored through Lefevbre’s discussion of abstract and differential space, which opens up multiple possibilities for resistance. This research finds that the process of creating this alternative space is grounded in five moments: (i) the self, (ii) social networks, (iii) material practices, (iv) knowledge creation, and (v) economic practices. At the same time, a feminist ‘killjoy’ perspective calls attention to the limits of the emancipatory potential of these movements.