Beyond Dual Power: Prefiguration and the Appropriation of Space

Abstract

In the wake of ‘assembly movements’ such as Occupy Wall Street, the concept of ‘prefiguration’ has received increased attention in radical political theory. What remains undertheorised, however, is the manner and the extent to which prefiguration often implies a territorial claim as a way to secede from existing power relations and institutions. This article seeks to establish this relation between prefiguration and the appropriation of space. It first retraces the idea of prefiguration as a revolutionary strategy to the Paris Commune of 1871 and reconstructs how this experience led to a split within the international workers’ movement. It then continues to distinguish between prefiguration and ‘dual power’, which was introduced by Lenin, and argues that the latter does not bear the same territorial connotation. Finally, the paper turns to a contemporary example of prefigurative politics that is underpinned by a territorial claim – namely, the ZAD or zone à défendre in Notre-Dame-des-Landes.

Keywords

• Prefiguration, occupation, territory, Paris Commune, ZAD