evolution and innovation – what can we learn from our activist history?
TRANSCRIPT
EVOLUTION AND INNOVATION:WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR ACTIVIST HISTORY?
ECF 14 April 2016Michaela O’Brien, @michaelaoCourse leader, MA in Media, Campaigning and Social Change, University of Westminster
Charles Booth’s C19th survey of
poverty in London
Friends of the Earth at Newbury Bypass 1996:
framed as an issue of ‘middle England’
pioneered use of legal observers, tree camps, tunnels
early use of alternative media: first campaign website used to bypass media representation of protest
Photo by Adrian Fisk: https://web.archive.org/web/19970713053007/http://www.foe.co.uk/action/newbury/images/index.html
UK Feminista's lobby of parliament 2012 evokes the spirit
of Emmeline Pankhurst. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the
Guardian
REPACKAGING TACTICS: SYMBOLIC ACTION AND VISUALS
Stunts and photocalls, marches, rallies, non violent direct action
Boycotts and strikes
Infographics, maps, images, logos, slogans and colours
The arts: protest songs, films and documentaries, craftivism
REPACKAGING TACTICS: USING THE MEDIA AND POLITICAL SYSTEM
Reports, statistics, surveys, human interest stories, celebrities - playing to the news agenda and editorial policy
Petitions, briefing and lobbying to influence politicians
Alternative media, leaflets and newsletters to mobilise
Brandjamming, spoof ads and mash ups to highlight corporate actions
THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS TO CATALOGUE THE HISTORY OF CAMPAIGNS…
… THROUGH DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MEDIA (BARINGHORST 2009)
Pre-modern campaigns from C19th to 1950s: interpersonal communication e.g. leaflets, door to door, rallies, buttons and some third party endorsement by the media
Modern campaigns from 1950s to 1980s: new TV-friendly tactics emerge eg stunts and photo opportunities, soundbites, celebrities and human interest / personalisation
Post-modern campaigns; 1980s to date: online media enables participatory tactics and co-creation of content, personalisation through big data / data analysis, upscaling of old tactics - petitions
…THROUGH SOCIAL CONTEXT (HILDER 2007)
Hilder’s timeline of campaigning is mapped to social and political developments:
Origins (legal space for assembly, the press, urbanisation)
20th century (improved rights, wider right to vote)
Consumerism of causes (globalisation, individualism)
Social network power (grassroots activism online)
…AND BY ISSUE OR APPROACH (DEMETRIOUS 2013)
Burgmann (in Demetrious 2013):
pre 1960s mostly trade unions and workers rights
post 1960s more about issues and identity politics: gender, race, sexuality
end of millennium universalist issues e.g. peace and environmental movement
Doyle (in Demetrious 2013): three stages of environmental protest in Australia:
outsider radical > collaborative insider approach > insider: business
EVOLUTION AND INNOVATION
What sparks new ideas and new types of campaign communications?
Context: is there a window of opportunity? What new tech / media / zeitgeist / cultural / political shifts offer new possibilities?
Knowledge: research and horizon scanning, resources and professionalism, body of knowledge and academic insights
‘Open source’ campaigning: free of restrictions, a fresh eye
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR HISTORY?
to celebrate success (and learn from failure)
to draw on others’ inspiration to feed our own
not to reinvent the wheel
that context is everything and strategy must dictate tactics
that our own historiography must be inclusive
WHERE TO FIND OUT MOREMore about Charles Booth: http://booth.lse.ac.uk/
Paul Hilder (2007) Contentious Citizens
Baringhorst, S. Introduction: Political Campaigning in Changing Media Cultures in Baringhorst et al (eds) (2009) Political Campaigning on the Web. Bielefeld:
Demetrious (2013) PR and Activism
https://www.foe.co.uk/page/big-ideas-history
Pop and Politics: Spotify list of protest songs compiled by Steve Gamble via crowdsourcing from activist communities on social media
2015 BBC 2 documentary Suffragettes Forever! by historian Amanda Vickery
Queen Mary University 2015 seminar papers: http://www.historyandpolicy.org/dialogues/discussions/women-peace-and-transnational-activism-a-century-on
https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-this-is-the-age-of-dissent-and-theres-much-more-to-come-52871
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-35132815
http://threeworlds.campaignstrategy.org/?p=545
O’Brien, M (2015), Movement for Change, Communication Director 01/2015