“Insurrection is not a spectacle”: experiencing and contesting touristification in Exarcheia, Athens

ABSTRACT

During the last few years, Athens is experiencing a substantial increase in tourist inflows, while transforming from a one-day stop destination during summer to a year-round, city-break destination. Through a multi-method qualitative research, this paper explores the role of the aforementioned developments in the emergence of Athens as a city-break destination and explores ongoing processes of touristification. The study focuses on the district of Exarcheia, where grassroots political activity and creativity co-exist in high densities. Due to the increased touristic traffic in the area, specific, often inter-related problematic conditions emerge concerning housing, residents’ everyday life and local businesses’ activity. At the same time, political groups and precarious creative professionals are facing substantial threats due to touristification. Building on the case of Exarcheia, this paper contributes to the ongoing discussion concerning touristification, highlighting its heavily context-dependent character to gentrification and the multiple ways social movements operate in tension with relevant processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Touristification
• gentrification
• athens
• exarcheia
• creativity
• grassroots politics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Documenta is a contemporary art exhibition that takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. Documenta 14 (2017) was the first documenta exhibition that – partly- took place outside Germany.

2. In 8 December 2008, 15 years old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was killed by a police officer in Exarcheia. His killing triggered extended riots in Athens and many major Greek cities. In 17 November 1973, the dictatorship regime of the time invaded the occupied School of Architecture. This event is considered as the “beginning of the end” for the regime. In both dates, major, memorial demonstrations take place, often operating as events that attract young protestors from abroad.

3. Monastiraki is located in the very center of the “traditionally” touristic area of Athens.

4. Alexandros Grigoropoulos and Michalis Kaltezas were two 15-year-old Greek students that were killed by police officers at Exarcheia. Grigoropoulos’ murder happened on 6/12/2008, while Kaltezas was shot at the back of his head during the annual 17 November protests at 1985.

5. https://forensic-architecture.org/