Dwelling dystopias, linguistic and artistic utopias

Abstract

This paper examines the deployment of linguistic and semiotic resources by housing rights movements to reclaim urban environments and establish counter-spaces (

) — sites governed by non-capitalist logics and dedicated to securing residential stability. The study focuses on two specific sites in Rome, a city characterized by rapid, forced urbanization and deepening socio-economic disparities. In response to these pressures, housing advocacy groups have increasingly appropriated abandoned properties to provide shelter and revitalize neglected structures. Contrasting the city’s prevailing urban dynamics, the utopian vision articulated by these squatting communities seeks to forestall demolition and resist gentrification. This analysis highlights how the linguistic and semiotic landscapes of these buildings underpins the community’s efforts to articulate and project their utopian ideals. Ultimately, the study demonstrates how two distinct semiotic regimes converge toward a shared instrumental and cultural objective: the legitimation and sustained viability of the occupation.