Image Credit: Alban Hasson
Alban Hasson's thesis built on Webster and Engberg-Pedersen’s political space framework (2002), argues that democratisation is emerging from a set of contestations by UA practitioners within existing and emerging institutional channels, but also through the historical struggle of contesting hegemonic political discourses. This arguments considers these contestations as being co-constituted through developments in specific social and political practices.
His research compares the allotment and community garden trajectories in their diversity and assesses the democratic processes produced in seeking another way of engaging with food. Through historical and ethnographic in-depth case studies, the thesis sheds light on the practices of commoning and the struggles faced by UA practitioners to create a more just and sustainable food regime.
He considers five democratic processes of UA necessary to expand the political space of food towards a more democratic food regime: fostering food security, expanding health benefits, reclaiming the commons, building places of interaction and representation, and decoupling from the regimes; and exploring how community UA practitioners engage with, negotiate, or resist current governance networks to expand the political space towards these democratic processes.
In so doing, his thesis highlights some of the discriminations at play and enables the proposition of solutions to continue to build intersectional environmental and food justice in London’s UA trajectories.
Pursuing a PhD at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit was an exceptional experience. Although the PhD process can often feel isolating, I was fortunate to be supported by a compassionate DPU team that was always caring and encouraged me to adopt participatory approaches, helping me stay closely connected to my case studies. The level of self-discipline and methodological rigor required for a PhD is easy to underestimate, and I often joke that you need to be a bit obsessed with your chosen topic to embark on this adventure. You have to genuinely get excited reading academic articles and diving deep into the research. Personally, I feel that completing my PhD part-time was particularly rewarding as it allowed me to diversify my experience in teaching and research beyond my specific topic. This balance, although it was a times tricky to achieve, also provided a refreshing break from routine, enabling me to situate my work within the broader struggle for environmental justice in urban spaces."
- Alban Hasson
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