Copenhagen Flea-Markets – Public Spaces of the Informal Economy

Urban markets, in particular flea markets, have yet to be fully acknowledged as sites of informal economy and public life in their own right.  In this essay, Vera Skvirskaja addresses the issue using flea markets (loppemarked) in Copenhagen as a case study.  Adopting a social conception of public space that foregrounds interactions, resistance and performance, it is argued that, unlike in formal public settings or institutions, the rules of public engagement in flea markets are often negotiated in the encounters themselves.

Vera Skvirskaja, Copenhagen Flea-Markets – Public Spaces of the Informal Economy, Informal Market Worlds Atlas, P. Mortenbock and H. Mooschammer (eds.). Rotterdam: NAI0I0 Publishers