Fragility and Hidden Revolutions. Analysing the Borders of Social Life from the Perspective of Michel De Certeau

Since the end of the 80s and, in particular, with the emergence of the socio-economic hegemony of the neo-liberal paradigm, a conception of human life characterised by the emphasis on competition and individual performance has become increasingly widespread. In every sphere of society, an imperative “to succeed” and “to win” has gained relevance, excluding or eliminating anything that does not fit into this performative model. At the same time, in last decades, this model has started to raise many critical social, economic, political and cultural questions. One of these can be identified in the widening gap between this hegemonic discourse and individual or social experiences of fragility and vulnerability. If, on the one hand, performance discourse becomes increasingly unsustainable and socially “unbelievable”, from the other hand, many life experiences of fragility and vulnerability becomes increasingly without “voice” and recognition. In the light of this, the contribution aims to introduce some reflections of Michel de Certeau, showing their theoretical and critical potential in relation to this contemporary question. According to Certeau, it is from the borders of social life that “hidden revolutions” can arise, grow and spread, thus generating new practices and discourses. Also, this means that it is from the borders of social life and, particularly, from the borders of social institutions that new forms of “poetic creativity” can take shape, thus giving value to subjective and intersubjective dimensions marginalised by the hegemonic order. Within this theoretical framework, the contribution aims to analyse some case studies of organisations and communities born at the borders of social life and focused on social, economic and human care of extreme forms of fragility. Case studies are read adopting a twofold point of view: with respect to their ability to create alternative discourses and with respect to their ability to create new social practices.