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).