1172 | 726 | What is community? The geography of mutual aid and the experience of Nonna Roma | Raffaella Coletti; Andrea Simone
Experiences of mutualism and solidarity have been growing in intensity and number in the last 15 years, following the 2008 economic crisis, the increase in territorial and social disparities and the decline of public welfare. There’s a growing interest in the literature on these experiences aimed at identifying their distinctive characteristics as opposed/in relation to other forms of social interventions. However, limited attention has been devoted so far to the territorial dimensions of these processes in terms of local embeddedness and spatial dynamics, on one hand, and on how they mobilize geographical imaginations on the other hand. A territorial perspective, in our view, would offer a crucial contribution to understand if (and to what extent) emerging practices of mutual aid contribute to a (re)definition of local communities in the context of growing inequalities and fragmentation (typical of large cities), and, more generally, to a (re)signification of the concept of community itself._x000D_
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In our contribution we will explore the recent evolution of mutualism in Rome with a geographical gaze, through a case study focused on the association “Nonna Roma” and its networks. Created in the neighborhood of Villa Gordiani in Eastern Rome in 2017 as a foodbank aimed at supporting beneficiaries also in processes of socio-occupational reintegration, Nonna Roma has undergone a process of thematic diversification, network creation and geographical expansion, which dramatically accelerated with the pandemic. _x000D_
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The paper wishes to explore the evolution of the relational and territorial geography of Nonna Roma, the level of its territorial embeddedness as well as the narratives and imaginaries which are mobilized around this project. The case study will be based on secondary sources and interviews with activists and other stakeholders. _x000D_
The aim is to identify if a new kind of community is being defined, and with what characteristics and prospect.
Raffaella Coletti; Andrea Simone
CNR ISSIRFA; Università per Stranieri di Siena
ID Abstract: 726