Compromise and contradiction, striving in a system one condemns?

: a case study of the radical leftist bookshop Piena Libreria in Lisbon

Abstract

This dissertation dives into the world of radical leftist bookshops, taking Piena Libreria, one such businesses, as a case study. The aim is to explore the contradictions that arise from being a politically involved anti-capitalist business under a capitalist framework. Piena Librearia is an Italian bookshop, founded by Sara Cappai and Elisa Sartor in 2022, with a curated catalogue of feminist, LGBTQI+, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist books, located in the neighbourhood of Arroios, in Lisbon, Portugal. This study implements ethnographic research, combining semistructured interviews and personal observation and analysis, in order to explore how Piena Libreria can survive, and even thrive, while operating under a system it condemns. What are the compromises the bookshop has to make and what contradictions does it fall prey to? My research draws from Kimberley Kinder’s theories in The Radical Bookstore: Counterspace for Social Movements (2021), expanding upon her spatial analysis through a political lens rooted in various works by feminist, Marxist, and anti-capitalist theorists and philosophers. These works were chosen specifically in accord with Piena’s ideology, therefore analyzing the bookshop within its own perceived framework. The research aims at filling a gap in the field by providing a non-Anglo-American perspective on radical bookstores, specifically giving insights to the Portuguese and Italian context. Each of the four analytical chapters of the dissertation address one key contradiction faced by Piena Libreria: worker’s alienation within capitalist business structures, the resemblance between domestic labor and underpaid passion projects work, the bookstore’s symbiotic relationship with its community and its potential role in gentrification processes. Each chapter highlights strategies for navigating these challenges while remaining true to the shop’s radical views. The concluding section summarizes these insights, offering recommendations for Piena and similar commercial activities, therefore contributing to the broader discourse on the cultural and political significance of radical independent businesses in contemporary society.

Date of Award	10 Mar 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Verena Lindemann Lino (Supervisor)