Social Change and Creative Activism in the 21st Century

This book is a large-scale study of global creative activism. It explores how activists facilitate the cultivation of societal alternatives. Harrebye shows that social activism has got a creative new edge that is blurring the boundaries between artist and activist, and pop, prank, and protest.

In what is a lively and engaging study, Harrebye explores key aspects of the phenomenon, maps the field through a rich theoretical overview, examines established and emerging forms of activist praxis, and reflects on the impact these practices may have on social change. Harrebye not only guides the reader through, at times, difficult conceptual and philosophical content, he also presents an original framework that bridges and supplements traditional theories of social movements. (Ian Reilly, International Journal of Communication, Vol. 10, 2016)

Autorentext

Silas Harrebye is Associate Professor at the Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark. He has published his research in several international peer review journals and teaches widely on new forms of democratic participation. Harrebye has a background in philosophy, has experience as a consultant and social entrepreneur, and has been a board member for Action Aid Denmark and The Alternative.

Klappentext

As the political terrain continues to change, people organize, communicate, and participate in different ways than they used to. Social Change and Creative Activism in the 21st Century shows social activism has got a creative new edge that is blurring the boundaries between artist and activist, and pop, prank, and protest. Harrebye explores how the artistic activist is pushing the boundaries of the known repertoire of resistance and dialogue by not only demonstrating against the status quo but also demonstrating how the world can be different. This book connects the dots from smaller, covert campaigns to political campaigns, social movements and conventional party politics, and asks how provoked moments of disruption or clarity can fuse resistance and lead to social movement. This book is a large-scale study of global creative activism that does not celebrate these new social actors as bearers of better societal alternatives, but explores how they facilitate the cultivation of suchalternatives.

Inhalt
Preface
Part I: IDENTIFYING THE PHENOMENON: MORE THAN AN ETHICAL SPECTACLE

1. Occupying the Space In-Between
2. Creative Activism Today
   Part II: MAPPING THE FIELD: USING THE TERRAIN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
3. First Movers and Circular Cycles of Contention
4. Paradoxes of Participation
   Part III: EXPLORING THE PRACTICE NEW THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
5. The Ambivalence of Cynicism, Irony, and Utopia
6. Mirroring Counter Strategies Towards a Theory of Reflection
   Part IV: QUESTIONING THE IMPACT NEW TREDS AND FUTURE DILEMMAS
7. Professionalization and Cooptation
8. The Gordian Knot Measuring Effect and Revisiting Theories of Change