This thesis examines the Rog Autonomous Factory, which operated in Ljubljana from 2006 to 2021, as an example of an alternative urban space, and analyses it through the lens of Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia. Heterotopia is introduced in the theoretical section, followed by a history and description of Rog’s operations, and then a reflection on the Rog Autonomous Factory as a heterotopia. The final section of the thesis also includes an analysis of interviews I conducted with users of the Autonomous Factory, with whom I discussed self-organisation, practices of solidarity, conflict with the authorities and its consequences, and the repercussions of Rog’s closure. The Autonomous Factory represented a space for self-organisation, cultural and artistic production, political activism and various forms of solidarity that developed outside institutional frameworks. The work places particular emphasis on the relationship between the community that operated within the Autonomous Factory and the City of Ljubljana, as well as on the various visions for the area’s future. Whilst the municipality viewed Rog primarily as a site for urban regeneration, cultural and creative industries, and potential investment, its users understood it as an already established and functioning community space. The conflict between these two perspectives escalated, culminating in attempts at eviction, legal disputes and, ultimately, the eviction and demolition of the complex in 2021.
Empirical analysis thus enables us to reflect on the Rog Autonomous Factory both as a heterotopia and as a space that no longer exists today, whilst also considering the limits and possibilities of applying Foucault’s concept to the understanding of alternative urban spaces.
Keywords: Autonomous Rog Factory, heterotopia, Michel Foucault, urban conflicts, community self-organisation.
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