Towards a political economy of violence: Property and revanchism in West Thessaloniki

Encompassing data from a year-long field-based work in the neighborhood of Ksiladika, Thessaloniki Northern Greece, I divulge campaign vigilant evictions migrant squatters by local property owners. To contextualize this violence historically, point to distinct trajectory Greek regime, carved minimal involvement state welfare provision, role family as substitute and valorized norm hybridizing familism with laissez-faire ethos linked possession (residential) assets. Geographically, marry Wacquant’s conceptualization advanced urban marginality rent gap theory unearth specificity space at once relegated yet loaded promise revaluation. suggest that is what impoverished landholders perceive an opened drives their pursuit reorganize according dictates markets way secure, valorize restore its attendant meanings vis-a-vis social reproduction squeeze brought about economic restructuring economy. Advancing effect neoliberal crafting on global scale (i) schematization Janus-like centaur performs liberalism for privileged punitive paternalism those bottom needs due expanding zone precarity no longer reserved marginalized (ii) governing attained not merely penal apparatus state, but via diversified repertoire responses, including through precarized subjects who internalize postulates ideology self-reliance mediated assets times when resource scarce.