{"product_id":"yes-its-possible","title":"Yes, It's Possible!: A Handbook for Building Power from Below","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA handbook for achieving social change through collective action based on lessons from a revolutionary movement’s struggle for housing justice in Spain.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFounded in Spain in 2009 as an immediate response to the devastating effects of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca – PAH) has since grown into a nationwide movement with over two hundred local chapters. Together, they have stopped thousands of evictions, negotiated with banks, forced legislative change, occupied fifty buildings, and, most importantly, rescued thousands of people from the edge of the abyss. It achieved all of this without backing from any party, union, or major NGO, and without full-time staff or external funding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the PAH faced off some of the country’s most powerful institutions, its members learned how to organize themselves, how to look after one another, how to do politics from the street, and how to bring about legislative reform. They managed to change the dominant narrative that blamed the victims of speculation on the housing market, they’ve won broad popular support, and through civil disobedience, they forced political parties to pass laws and pressured wealthy property owners and international corporations to negotiate and accept their demands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow did they do this? This handbook collects and curates more than a decade-and-a-half worth of experience in social movement and community organizing. The lessons offered here, ranging from how to run a citizens’ assembly and manage conflicts to reflections on negotiation tactics, street-level organizing, and collective care, are drawn from the PAH’s struggle for housing justice, but can be useful for groups of citizens fighting collectively anywhere in the world. The PAH’s message to the world? “Only by organizing in the streets can we force legislative change, and only through legislative change can we gain more rights.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat People Are Saying\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e“Here we can find hope for the advancement of emancipatory housing struggles.” Miguel A. Martínez, author of \u003cem\u003eSquatters in the Capitalist City\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e“This handbook makes accessible what we all need in these dark times: An experience and knowledge of a successful strategy against rent extraction from our cities, a story of solidarity. The PAH has inspired many housing movements globally and this book helps to spread their message: Yes, it’s possible! Highly recommended for both movement researchers and activist.” Dr. Lisa Vollmer, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e“The PAH has pioneered a strategy for organizing around the right to housing that has not only rocked the foundations of Spanish politics, but has also become an inspiration for housing and urban movements around the world. Drawing on many years of deep engagement and participation, João’s comprehensive and highly accessible book documents the PAH’s strategy for building the power of ordinary people to tackle Spain’s eviction crisis. But even more importantly, \u003cem\u003eYes It’s Possible\u003c\/em\u003e tells the incredible story of how this strategy emerged and continues to evolve. Across years of experimentation, people from a range of political backgrounds came together to forge a new approach to people power that draws on existing traditions while trying something new. For those who are ready to follow the PAH’s advice to keep learning about making change rather than getting stuck in our ways, this book is an inspirational resource.” Amanda Tattersall and Kurt Iveson, authors of \u003cem\u003ePeople Power in Cities\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e“\u003cem\u003eYes, It's Possible!\u003c\/em\u003e is a unique book based on the phenomenal success of the PAH movement for housing justice in Spain. João França is a journalist with a background in the social sciences who organized with the PAH. He has created a handbook that clearly documents the movement’s power as it engages participants to help themselves and others. Rather than offering outside assistance, the PAH energizes people who might otherwise see themselves as victims to strategize collectively regarding threatened evictions, banks, legal challenges, and political parties. Documenting the important lessons they have learned, this book is essential reading for community organizers.” Ida Susser, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center, and author of \u003cem\u003eThe Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoão França\u003c\/strong\u003e (Brasília, 1990) is a researcher and journalist based in Barcelona. His work is focused on social movements and collective action, and his projects have been devoted to subjects such as the right to housing and the right to the city, queer history, migrants’ rights, collective memory, and the challenges posed by disinformation. He is currently working at the Social Anthropology department at the University of Barcelona, where he is developing a dissertation on coalitions and alliances within social movements. He is involved in different movements and organizations, and since 2023, he has also served as the president of the Progressive Summer University of Catalonia (UPEC).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (Plataforma de los Afectados por la Hipoteca–PAH)\u003c\/strong\u003e is an assembly-based housing justice movement established in Barcelona in early 2009 in response to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent housing crisis in Spain. In 2013, PAH received the Premio Nacional de Derechos Humanos, a national human rights award, and the European Citizens' Prize.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\" id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1789591124213_436\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca data-lwsa=\"eyJhdXRvbGluayI6dHJ1ZSwiYXV0b19pZCI6Ijg5ODMifQ==\" href=\"https:\/\/leftwingbooks.net\/collections\/all\/silvia-federici\" title=\"Silvia Federici\"\u003eSilvia Federici\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e (Afterword) is a long-time feminist, writer, and teacher living in Brooklyn, NY. Her most recent book is \u003cem\u003e\u003ca data-lwsa=\"eyJhdXRvbGluayI6dHJ1ZSwiYXV0b19pZCI6IjM0MDE4In0=\" href=\"https:\/\/leftwingbooks.net\/products\/revolution-at-point-zero-housework-reproduction-and-feminist-struggle-second-edition\" title=\"Revolution at Point Zero\"\u003eRevolution at Point Zero\u003c\/a\u003e: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle\u003c\/em\u003e (Common Notions\/PM Press, 2012). Born in Italy, Federici has lectured and taught widely in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the U.S. She has participated in numerous international movements and social struggles, including feminist, education, anti-death penalty, as well as anti-nuclear and anti-globalization movements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eForeword: \u003cstrong\u003eAssemble, Support, Resist\u003c\/strong\u003e | Rob Robinson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003ePreface: \u003cstrong\u003eSeizing the Right to Housing Worldwide\u003c\/strong\u003e | International Committee\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eIntroduction: \u003cstrong\u003eTo Do Something\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe Deep Roots of the Movement\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuilding Power From Below\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eOrganizing With Care\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eSolving Problems Collectively\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eOrganizing an Assembly-Based Movement\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eBuilding a Decentralized Movement\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eSafeguarding Rights Through Civil Disobedience\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eShifting Narratives\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eGet the Ones in Power to Sit Down And Negotiate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eTransforming Policies From the Streets\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eManaging Conflicts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eJoining Forces\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Need to Keep Learning\u003c\/strong\u003e – An interview with the PAH’s International Committee\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eEpilogue: \u003cstrong\u003eSí se puede\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAfterword | Silvia Federici\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAppendix A – Red Lines excerpt\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAppendix B – Facilitation Manual\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Common Notions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44906722754653,"sku":"9781945335648","price":25.2,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/0826\/1213\/files\/yesit_spossible.jpg?v=1789738703","url":"https:\/\/leftwingbooks.net\/fr\/products\/yes-its-possible","provider":"Leftwingbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}