Infoshop

Info stores are part of autonomous structures and organization. They serve not only the dissemination of information, but should also promote the development of and debate with a wide variety of topics. These topics range from refugee policy and anti- fascism feminism and repression, prison and prisoners, radical left-wing politics, globalization and internationalism, " anti-nationalism " to drugs and subculture. In addition to current information, many stores also archives available and perform as if a kind of memory of the movements.

Concept

Info stores were and are often integrated into autonomous centers and squats. After the disappearance of many centers and houses occupied the info stores also offer increasingly the infrastructure and facilities, which need left-wing groups and projects for their work. The purpose of infoshops is also the networking of groups and individuals at local and regional level. Worn and be organized infoshops of people with different beliefs, but which originate mostly from the non-dogmatic and autonomous spectrum.

History

Early 80s emerged infoshops especially in the urban centers of the Western industrialized countries. Fundamental to its development was the need to operate information policy away from capitalist logic of exploitation. So the info stores are well networked with each other and able to spread news and information quickly even country. Besides the practical functions provide info shops but also always scope for experimenting with domination-free utopias dar. anti-authoritarian forms of organization and a rejection of rigid ideologies and discriminatory views characterize the entire structure.

The International Infoshop Meeting ( IIM ) came together for the first time in 1988 and was still held until the early 90s. However, it was more influenced by Western European. Newspaper for / from the resistivity in Europe - As part of these meetings a joint journal of the info stores that CLASH arose. The international meetings sponsored an intensive discussion process within the movement of information stores. The Infoshop Leipzig began in the mid 90s to capture its holdings in a database, the Data Space. In 1999, the idea to make the database available online, also added other stores their holdings of periodicals, books, brochures, videos and CD -ROMs added. The result is a comprehensive list of materials that can be found in shops info.

In German-speaking was last seen between 1999 and 2001 share a common structure of the info stores, as well as bi-annual networking meetings. During this time, the central side of the infoshops that was no longer maintained since 2003, was born.

Importance

Infoshops developed over time to important information sources of different movements. They are a local focal point for political activists, because the stores get them the information they need for their work, research in archives, rooms for meetings and events, equipment for office work or even a mailing address for illegal groups and individuals. From the beginning infoshops saw it to preserve and convey more as their task to the knowledge of past social struggles and experiences. They are not only a service-providing collection of information, they want to let the accumulated knowledge into the development of new practices and ideas actively.