This paper engages in debates about the spatiality of social movements which have argued that examining politics purely through territorial or relational understandings of space does not adequately grasp the ways in which social movements undertake their activities. The paper argues that a possible route through this debate lies in the concept of assemblage, which has recently been deployed in geography in order to understand the emergence and practice of social organisation and activity. The paper develops these ideas through an empirical discussion of the practices that help to maintain a particular social movement organisation -a Tibet Support Group (TSG). Through ethnographic engagement with a particular TSG, the paper argues that through the quotidian activities like delivering the mail we can understand how sociospatial practices within an organisation display both territorial and relational elements at the same time. This develops an account that advances knowledge of the spatiality of political action, and with it the ability of assemblage to understand organisational practices, but also develops theoretical insights into TSGs as a particular type of organisation.key words social movements assemblage ethnography Tibet space politics

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Of all the cities of England and Scotland, Glasgow is most widely associated with sectarianism. As Bill Murray has remarked, the city is renowned for its religion, violence and football, three elements which crystallise in the uniquely bitter encounters between the city’s two major football clubs, Rangers and Celtic. The clubs are identified as ‘Protestant’ and ‘Catholic’ respectively, although, as Tom Gallagher has commented, supporters’ allegiances tend to be more tribal than doctrinal. Religion is inextricably bound up with nationalism in these sporting contests.

This paper examines the ability of ethnographic research methods to effectively study spatially extensive political activity. It argues that traditional ethnographic methods of sustained engagement with spatially bounded sites are not adequately suited to dealing with contemporary spatially extensive political movements. It argues that contemporary attempts to bridge this impasse have emphasised a dichotomy between global and local that ignores the connections, disconnections and process that occur between places. The paper argues for a critical ethnography that is based on a relational understanding of space emphasising Gillian Hart's conception of the interconnected nature of the 'site'. Taking a single demonstration against the Beijing 2008 Olympics conducted by UK-based Tibet supporters, it examines how the site of protest was closely linked to a variety of other places. Interrogating the processes of connection and disconnection brought about through the protest creates an ethnographic account that, while partial, develops an engagement with the heterogeneity of contemporary political action.

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