Struggling with and through Knowledge Production: The Campaign ‘Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.’s’ Attempt at Housing Definancialisation in Berlin

Authors: Rabea Berfelde ID, Susanne Heeg ID

The article looks at the role of knowledge production in conceptualising the impact of social movements, taking the campaign Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen (Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.) as an example. The campaign proposes to socialise the assets of all (financialised) landlords who own more than 3,000 apartments in Berlin. The article analyses how the campaign has developed and popularised strategic knowledge about housing financialisation and definancialisation. Empirically, the article analyses two phases of the political work. It discusses the beginnings of the campaign in the run-up to the 2021 referendum, where the campaign translated knowledge about the role of institutional financial investors in Berlin’s housing crisis into a demand for socialisation. The article also analyses the phase after the successful referendum in 2021, where the knowledge production shifted to the juridical field as the Berlin Senate set up an expert commission to discuss the constitutionality of housing socialisation.

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Document Type
article
ISSN
2336-2839
Volume / Issue
11 / 1
Pages
105-114
https://doi.org/10.13060/23362839.2024.11.1.568
Date of publication
22.6.2024
Keywords:
legal aspects of housing, land and planning , housing finance

Cite this article

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Berfelde, R. , S. Heeg 2024. ‘Struggling with and through Knowledge Production: The Campaign ‘Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.’s’ Attempt at Housing Definancialisation in Berlin.’ Critical Housing Analysis 11 (1): 105-114. https://doi.org/10.13060/23362839.2024.11.1.568