Social Movements that Care : Empathy, Solidarity, and Empowerment in the Fight Against Evictions

The Platform of Those Affected by Mortgages (PAH) has left a crucial mark in the history of Spanish social movements by advocating for the over 700,000 families that have been evicted since its inception in 2009. This book explores how the PAH has blocked thousands of evictions through civil resistance, prevented many more through negotiations with banks, and rehoused thousands of evicted families in apartments recuperated from banks and vulture funds. Through the framework of the Politics of Care, Felipe G. Santos explores the emotional, identity, and participatory challenges that hindered the mobilization of those affected by mortgages. The book also reveals how empathy from a group of people unaffected by mortgage issues sparked mobilization, and how care relationships empowered those facing eviction to lead the fight for housing rights.