Paper short abstract:

This paper is an examination of the Occupy Wall Street Movement as a case study in emancipatory politics with a consideration of method and theory in anthropology and Critical Security Studies.

Paper long abstract:

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) claims to be a leaderless resistance movement that has spawned numerous demonstrations across the United States, Canada, and now the world. Yet the individuals behind OWS are skilled at using the Internet and social media to organize coordinated community action in an attempt to effect societal change. By tapping into widespread discontent associated with economic and world politics aspects of the OWS movement have been both embraced and rejected by political leaders and the press. Citing "security" as in issue, coordinated and violent crackdowns against OWS camps in cities throughout the United States, during the late fall of 2011, suggest the degree to which the movement is viewed as a national threat. This paper will explore the genesis of the movement through the lens of Critical Security Studies as well as examine the use of anthropological research methods—particularly those of Rapid Ethnographic Assessment—to study this dynamic social movement and what is portends for emancipatory politics.