We Were Never Meant To Survive: On Survival as Resistance The everyday acts of resistance against patriarchal violence by non-masculine people

This thesis explores how non-masculine people use everyday tactics to avoid and oppose patriarchal violence in public spaces. Grounded in de Certeau's theory of everyday tactics and employing Ahmed’s queer phenomenology, this study examines how subtle everyday practices, such as changing one's route, altering one's appearance, or reimagining objects, can serve as embodied expressions of resistance. These tactics are shaped by intersecting identities and embedded in daily routines. The study focuses on experiences in Rotterdam and employs qualitative techniques, including interviews, mapping, and autoethnographic reflection. Despite participants frequently interpreting these acts as a form of survival rather than resistance, this thesis argues that survival itself holds the potential for resistance. Through storytelling and a collective memory, these tactics create a living archive of resistance, challenging prevailing notions of gender, belonging, and public space. The study ultimately demonstrates how tactical creativity, adaptation, and refusal are significant manifestations of resistance in everyday life.