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- Convenors:
-
Agnieszka Pasieka
(University of Montreal)
Mihir Sharma (Universität Bremen)
Send message to Convenors
- Chairs:
-
Mihir Sharma
(Universität Bremen)
Agnieszka Pasieka (University of Montreal)
- Discussant:
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Carna Brkovic
(University of Mainz)
- Format:
- Panel+Roundtable
Short Abstract:
This panel aims to interrogate the normative understandings behind the category of activist and create space for discussing untold and unwritten narratives of activism. We invite contributions which draw on specific case studies to discuss various definitions, practices and embodiments of activism.
Long Abstract:
Anthropologists have explored the ways in which social actors act upon reality: whether by imagining alternative lifeworlds and striving to change the circumstances in which they live, or by actively working towards the maintenance of the status quo. However, the categories of “activism” and “activist” tend to be imbued with a set of normative understandings. Thus, “activists” are seen predominantly as (post-)modern subjects, fighting for “progressive” causes, and often considered as a part of a social movement.
The goal is to interrogate the normative understandings behind the category of the activist discuss untold and unwritten narratives of activism. We aim to inspire a discussion on the limits and affordances of the categories of “activist.”
We invite contributions addressing the following aspects:
1) Historical and genealogical complexities: When and how do the terms activism and activist emerge? When and in which ways have they been used retroactively - to which ends and which effects?
2) Ethnographic: Why are ethnographic insights important for the study of activism?
3) Translation: How do we deal with the multiplicity of emic terms used to describe activism?
4) Definition(s): How do ethnographers find activists? Who “counts” as an activist and what “counts” as activism? What are the criteria for becoming /being /remaining /being recognized as activists?
In proposing a panel followed by a roundtable, we invite contributions which zoom out of specific cases to think across and in comparative ways the situatedness of specific articulations of activist practice, embodiment, identification, and relations.
Accepted contributions:
Session 1Contribution short abstract:
Based on my ethnographic research among land activists in post-apartheid South Africa, I discuss multiple shades within the concept of the ‚activist‘. I argue that the ‚activist‘ is less a state of being than a quality of relating and thus informs a constant becoming of the social in-between.
Contribution long abstract:
Based on my ethnographic research among urban land activists in post-apartheid South Africa, I explore various subject forms through which activists situate themselves and others. The diverse becomings of ‚comrades‘, ‚leaders‘ and members of a political ‚family‘ are paralleled by particular sets of possibilities to engage in political relationships and to navigate different shades of solidarity, belonging and intimacy. This multiplicity reveals different roles within the concept of the activist, each of which invokes its own affective references and political imaginings.
Activist subject forms are particularly interesting in South Africa’s political landscape which is characterized by the transition of the liberation movement ANC into the ruling party. Many contemporary activists are trying to firmly dissociate themselves from the ANC and party politics in general, both of which are often perceived as corrupt and opposed to activist aspirations. When activists draw on the common performative repertoire of the anti-apartheid struggle and simultaneously strive for demarcation, they always negotiate dynamically between rejection, re-appropriation and reconfiguration in order to represent their political stances.
I argue that the form of an ‚activist‘ is less a state of being than a quality of relating and thus informs a constant becoming of the social in-between.
Contribution short abstract:
This paper examines tensions in migration-focused NGOs through Amsterdam-based Here to Support. Navigating state deportation policies and asylum procedures, these organizations blur activism and bureaucracy, challenging insider/outsider boundaries.
Contribution long abstract:
The figure of the activist is often defined as a progressive agent, working within social movements to challenge systems of oppression. Yet, what happens when activism unfolds within the constraints of state funding, bureaucratic entanglements, and the absence of a broader movement? This paper interrogates these limits by examining the case of Here to Support, an Amsterdam-based NGO which advocates for undocumented people.
Positioned within the Dutch deportation landscape, Here to Support embodies the tensions between activism and a state aligned NGO landscape. Through its reliance on public funding, and its participation in the asylum process, the NGO performs functions that are believed to be the state's responsibility. This complicates its selfproclaimed activist stance, as its work tacitly stabilizes the deportation regime it seeks to resist. Using ethnographic insights, this paper critically addresses the following questions: How are these NGO workers perceived by others in the field, by undocumented people, and by themselves? Do their activist identities survive when they receive salaries from their activities?
This paper argues that NGOs like Here to Support challenge anthropology’s understanding of activism by occupying a liminal space. Their position problematizes the binary of insider/outsider and activist/bureaucrat, and offers a lens to rethink the limits and possibilities of activism from within the system. By drawing on this case, the paper contributes to a broader interrogation of what ‘counts’ as activism and who gets to claim the title of ‘activist’ within politically charged landscapes.
Contribution short abstract:
Based on an ethnographic study of the civic initiative “Friendly Neighbours” (Venligboerne) in Denmark, this paper aims to address questions of definition and translation in the study of activism and vernacular humanitarianism.
Contribution long abstract:
During and after the so-called “summer of migration” in 2015, large numbers of European citizens engaged in activities to welcome and support the refugees who arrived in their countries. While these were active citizens, they rarely considered themselves as activists. They were not necessarily motivated by political issues, but rather by a desire to help and ‘do good’. Accordingly, studies have discussed how to characterise the civilian initiatives that were not social movements in a classical sense, but rather expressions of solidarity. Brkovic (2017) and others have coined the term ‘vernacular humanitarianism’ to describe such grassroots forms of helping others that are embedded in local frameworks of morality and sociality.
This paper will explore how a study of vernacular humanitarian can shed light on the concept of activism. Based on an ethnographic study (2017-2023) of the civic initiative “Friendly Neighbours” (Venligboerne) in Denmark, the paper discusses what it means to be an active Venligbo. It unfolds emic understandings of categories such as “volunteer”, “fellow human being”, “fiery soul” and “friend” and it examines the kinds of activism associated with them. By combining questions of activism with perspectives on temporality and care, it also explores how the categories entail and produce different kinds of relationships to newly arrived refugees. On a more general level, the paper aims to address questions of definition and translation in the study of activism and vernacular humanitarianism.
Contribution short abstract:
Based on ethnographic work on Jewish initiatives in Germany, the presentation examines how actors navigate the multiplicity of terms like “activist” or “volunteer” strategically. The aim is to sharpen the understanding of activism not only as a set of practices, but as a powerful semantic field.
Contribution long abstract:
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish initiatives have emerged in Germany with the objective of challenging the prevailing perception of Judaism in public discourse. The initiatives especially emphasize the diversity of contemporary Jewish life and culture through formats such as intercultural dialogues, educational materials or social media accounts. In this context, a multiplicity of self- or external designations of the actors can be observed: “activists”, “political educators”, and also “volunteers” (German: Ehrenamtliche). In addition to indicating the organizational structures of the initiatives, these terms convey a range of implications and actors navigate them in a highly reflexive and strategic manner.
Drawing on my ethnographic work on Jewish initiatives in Germany I will shed light on the situational use and non-use of emic terms, with the aim of contributing to a deeper understanding of activism not only as a set of practices, but also as a powerful semantic field. To do so, I will outline the functions of invoking and avoiding the term “activism”. For instance, some actors reference the term to validate their work and imbue it with a sense of urgency. Others avoid it in order to evade certain expectations associated with their work and shape future career opportunities. By providing ethnographic insights into the (political) organization of marginalized groups, for whom the visible performance of difference such as Jewishness in everyday life is a political act in itself, I hope to contribute to sharpening the analytical lens of activism and discussing its productivity.
Contribution short abstract:
This paper examines the evolving concept of “grassroots” within the history of the antimafia movement and investigates how contemporary antimafia activists in Palermo define and practice a struggle “from below.”
Contribution long abstract:
From its beginnings in the early revolts against the landholding notables and their armed gangs to today’s urban civil society combating drug trafficking and racketeering, the antimafia movement in Sicily has seen a great transformation in its social composition and political expression. This paper traces the changing meaning of grassroots in the history of the antimafia movement and explores how contemporary antimafia activists in Palermo understand and enact an antimafia struggle from below.
In 2003 Jane and John Schneider pointed at a shift in governance form “social democracy” to “civil democracy” unfolding in the 1990s and 2000s in Sicily. Tracing the mafia-antimafia dialectic as it unfolded in the post-War years, against the backdrop of the Cold War and post-Cold War developments up until the beginning of the 21st century, they described the promotion of civil society increasingly emphasising individual citizen rights and responsibilities, as opposed to class struggle. Propelled by post-Cold War triumphalist narratives of the liberal state, the movement increasingly called for a purified, clean state, free from mafia collusion, while simultaneously promoting a law-abiding culture.
Situating antimafia struggles within historical and political transformations this paper asks what it means to fight the mafia from below and how and when antimafia becomes activism. Activists differentiate between antimafia from below and institutional antimafia. How does fighting the mafia from below differ from a fight from above? In analysing activists strategies and narratives I also explore how they reaffirm or unsettle liberal ideologies of legality and citizenship.
Contribution short abstract:
This paper focuses on personal narratives of 'ordinary people' becoming 'Black Bloc' in the No TAV movement in Italy. Revisiting anthropological 'subjective turn' accounts of activist radicalization, I argue the process of becoming activists is embodied, reiterative, and always unfinished.
Contribution long abstract:
This paper focuses on the personal narratives of a handful of activists in the No TAV movement in Val di Susa, Italy. In its thirty-year history, the movement, opposing the construction of a transalpine high-speed railway, has been able to mobilize some of the largest demonstrations in Italian history and, sometimes, defeat the 'forces of order'. One strategy by the authorities seeking to contain it has been to narratively split the movement into a 'peaceful' and a 'violent' Black Bloc part. The movement has countered that by publicly declaring, 'We are all Black Bloc'. But the majority of its activists are 'ordinary' people from the local villages: farmers, pensioners, as well as middle-class white-collar workers. The paper attends to some of these people's personal stories of 'becoming Black Bloc': learning to dress black to avoid recognition, use gas masks, and engage in skirmishes with the police. The irony of the contrast between the image of the Black Bloc and their own lifestyles, or even physical abilities, is not lost on these activists. Indeed, they weaponize that irony to make state accusations against the movement look ridiculous. All of this leads me to revisit anthropological accounts of activist 'becoming' associated with the so-called 'subjective turn'. I argue that the process of 'becoming' activists, or militants, is embodied, reiterative, and always unfinished. It is also like mimetic magic: though the activists do not aspire to full identity with the imaginary Black Bloc, through imitation they nonetheless attain some of 'its' powers.
Contribution short abstract:
In this paper, I draw on 18 months of anthropological fieldwork in Karachi to trace the “activist becomings” of women leaders belonging to religious minority communities. My case study expands existing theoretical conceptions of the activist beyond a (male) figure of deliberative democracy.
Contribution long abstract:
In Pakistan, as in much of the Global South, the state and its social safety nets are weak. Since the 1980’s, alliances between national governments and neoliberal credit institutions like the World Bank and IMF have resulted in large swaths of Pakistan’s social services sector being outsourced to NGOs. Significant portions of the policy-making process, too, come under the purview of paid consultants and lobbying groups. All of this contributes to what I call the “activism industry,” which has been lucrative for a certain subset of activist entrepreneurs—but also disrupts existing (and deeply gendered) notions of samaji kam (social work), unpaid efforts in service of humanity.
In this paper, I draw on 18 months of anthropological fieldwork in Karachi to trace the “activist becomings” of women leaders belonging to religious minority communities. I analyze how Christian and Hindu women fighting for change narrate the arc of their journeys into activist worlds. I pay special attention to the role of class in determining who can be considered an activist and how these monikers create and feed into notions of in/authenticity. Finally, I explore how social media performances undergird individuals’ claims to be a “real” lady activist in the Pakistani context.
Ultimately, I hope my case study expands existing theoretical conceptions of the activist as an (implicitly male-coded) figure of deliberative democracy (e.g. protesting in the public sphere, etc.) to include the kind of (traditionally female-coded) care work undertaken by lady activists on behalf of their communities in the Global South.
Contribution short abstract:
Several music projects have recently emerged that address discrimination against Bulgarian Roma. What forms and genres do these projects embrace, and who produces them, why and how? Via artists such as Azis I explore the strategies of merging activism and music in the context of neo-nationalism.
Contribution long abstract:
Several music projects have recently emerged that address prejudice, police brutality, evictions, and discrimination against Bulgarian Roma. What forms and genres do these projects embrace, who produces them, why and how, and what effect do they have? In short, what are the challenges regarding attempts to merge activism and Romani music in the context of the neo-nationalist political landscape? Although Roma are revered for their musical talent, offstage they face xenophobia and racism. With this fraught context, activism merits a deeper treatment than merely “protest songs.” Activism may emerge in texts and images as well as declaring identity in non-stereotypical ways, managing your own career, or changing the unequal structures of music production. Recently, the radical pop/folk music non-binary icon Azis has become more public about their Romani identity. Azis has a long history of exposing exclusions related not only to gender and sexuality but also to poverty, disability, race and ethnicity. I examine recent videos, interviews, and social media posts to explore his work. I compare celebrities to struggling performers such as Neno Iliev who released a biting satire of the political landscape while also criticizing his fellow Roma for being apathetic. Another case study investigates a media scandal about a Romani cover version of a beloved song from the 1970s on the theme of migration. Migration itself is a charged issue: while nationalists demonize Syrian and Afghani migrants, over 3 million Bulgarians, including many Roma, have moved westward. Research is based on 40 years of Bulgarian Roma fieldwork.
Contribution short abstract:
Focusing on recent debates within the climate justice movement, this paper identifies and examines three common lines of critique of activist subjectivity: Atomism, temporality and disorientation. It subsequently discusses popular alternatives to the activist: Comrade, organizer and militant.
Contribution long abstract:
Everyone is an activist nowadays, at least in their Instagram bio (Cruz 2024). This has sparked critical debates about activist subjectivity within various contemporary social movements. Focusing on the climate justice movement specifically, I identify and examine three common lines of critique:
(1) The atomism critique: Activist subjectivity emphasizes individual visibility at the expense of concealing the social networks and connections that enable effective political action. In creating a designated cultural sphere removed from the daily lives of the masses, activists invite their own social marginalization (Smucker 2012).
(2) The temporality critique: Activist subjectivity is grounded in a chronocentric privileging of the now, paradoxically rendering activist time empty and homogenous (Kenis 2023). Relatedly, activism’s privileging of activity is insensitive to the actual physical limits of activist bodies, resulting in overwork and burnout.
(3) The disorientation critique: Activism's privileging of the present over long-time strategy and planning is understood to be conducive to strategic disorientation. Moreover, unlike terms like socialist or abolitionist, the term “activist” presupposes no coherent political program or affiliation.
The paper concludes with a discussion of some popular alternatives to the activist label, such as the comrade (Dean 2019), the organizer (Hayes & Kaba 2023), as well as the militant (Taylor 2016).