69 FIVE Radical activists’ new knowledge … [activist groups’] efforts to construct a new kind of science – one which uses a combination of observation, anecdote, dialogue, complaints and human input as well as the available scientific, sociological and psychological evidence – to reach its conclusions regarding appropriate care, and to identify problems and opportunities for change. (Pat Thomas, AIMS member, 2002, p 6) Introduction Activists’ decision that something needs to be done to oppose low standards of care or oppressive practices and to propose
International initiatives to work with the police Turning now to international activist responses, these have often revolved specifically around justice issues. It is true that the original feminist movements against domestic violence in many countries were full of passion. They were commonly suspicious of the police and the criminal justice system, and unenthusiastic about working closely alongside them. 1 Back in the early days, responses almost everywhere by the police to women reporting violence (of all types) were poor, and the issue was not taken at
125 PART III Being Activist: The Activist Identity and its Problems Having explored in Part II what it means to do activism and the complexities involved, Part III focuses on what it means to be an activist. It considers the ways in which the activist identity is constructed and upheld within the local anti-austerity activist culture and uncovers its problematic, damaging consequences, illuminating what I have called ‘the dark side’ of activist culture. Chapter 6 explores the two main constructions of ‘activist’; the ‘authentic’ and ‘ideal’ activist
415 Critical and Radical Social Work • vol 4 • no 3 • 415–19 • © Policy Press 2016 • #CRSW Print ISSN 2049 8608 • Online ISSN 2049 8675 • http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204986016X14721364317654 Accepted for publication 25 July 2016 • First published online 16 September 2016 commentary Searching for Sedgwick: resources for activists1 Nigel Norman, n.norman732@btinternet.com London Guildhall University, UK This article argues for the continuing relevance of the work of scholar-activist Peter Sedgwick, author of Psychopolitics (1982) and translator of the works of
21 TWO Being a scholar-activist then and now Being a scholar now is similar in many ways to being a scholar a century ago, especially for those interested in social justice. When W. E. B. DuBois and other activists in the Niagara Movement of the early 20th-century US wanted to spread their ideas about racial equality and social justice among sympathetic readers, DuBois bought a printing press. In 1905, he began writing, publishing, and distributing Moon Illustrated Weekly. Of course, W. E. B. DuBois was also a renowned scholar, a founder of the discipline
activists carved out room for feminism in neoconservative times that offered limited political opportunities. I also analyse the types of feminist spaces produced by the activists. Ultimately, I suggest that the feminists produced spatial politics at two temporally distinct levels: to expand feminist space and challenge conservative politics in the long run, but more urgently to produce safety and privacy by engaging in what I call the politics of sheltering . Nancy Fraser’s (1997 : 82) idea of the subaltern counterpublic is instructive here, as it suggests a dual
153 7 The Dark Side of Activist Culture and its Gendered Dimension As Alexander (2013: 1) asserts in reference to modernity, ‘there has always been a dark part that offers a kind of counterpoint to the light part’. Alexander (2013: 3) speaks of modernity as ‘Janus-faced’, both forwards- and backwards-looking at the same time, remarking that ‘even when you’re moving through something, you’re also drawn back into the chaos’. Alexander’s analysis of the messy, ambivalent nature of modernity is well suited to understanding the complexity of meanings and
brutal police responses, a growing number of deaths, reports of injuries, rape, torture and disappearances. Political rhetoric used to denigrate opponents, insurgents and activists is not a new phenomenon, nor is it unique to Latin American countries. It is part and parcel of a wider contested version of politics in which activists and social movements have been systematically persecuted through diverse state and corporate mechanisms. A growing body of research emerging in Latin America focuses on understanding this phenomenon as it is experienced through the
naturaleza de participación voluntaria en el Reino Unido. Utilizando el trabajo de Habermas y teorías de capital social, discutimos que los datos ponen en cuestión el potencial de la sociedad civil para el desarrollo de tendencias deliberadas. Reformulating activism, reformulating the activist Wayne Clark, Usman Khan and Peter McLaverty Key words: activism • participation • democratisation • social capital Final submission 18 August 2001 • Acceptance 5 September 2001 Policy & tics vol 30 no 4 455–68 456 Introduction The past decade has seen an upsurge of interest in
