RESEARCH PROJECT - CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND RADICAL POLITICS
Transnational Perspectives on Civil Disobedience
(Non)violent Resistance and Radical Politics in the 21st Century
What is the relationship between disruption and social change - is protest dependent on irritation and disruption to be effective, or does confrontation limit its potential? Can we identify thresholds at which civil society actors and their direct actions are perceived as too radical or "uncivil" and thus fail to generate resonance for their claims and demands?
The global protests against the Corona-vaccinations, the recent wave of direct actions by the climate justice movement, as well as a range of popular uprisings, such as in Lebanon, Sudan and Iran, have moved these questions back to the fore. Divergent perceptions of and reactions to these and other largely nonviolent yet highly disruptive episodes of contention have confronted activists and protest researchers alike with the question of under what conditions radical and disruptive forms of protest and resistance promote or endanger the goals of social movements, and effect social change. In particular, the media controversy surrounding the blockades of groups suche as Letzte Generation and Extinction Rebellion has catapulted the nexus of civil disobedience and disruption right back into the center of social movement and conflict research. This project is situated at the intersection of these disciplines and aims to explore the conditions and effects of radical politics and direct action, focusing on the disruptive nature of different protest tactics and the dynamics of confrontation between protesters, police forces, and the broader public. Through empirical case studies, the panel aims to tease out the subjective meaning-making processes that condition the emergence and impact of radical actions and that mediate between activism and society’s responses. Informed by case studies from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Peru), the MENA region (Lebanon, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Sudan), Europe (Germany, Greece, UK) and Southeast/Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar), the current predominantly Eurocentric conceptions of civil disobedience and its conditions of action, which are theoretically based primarily on liberal paradigms and empirically on examples from consolidated democracies, will be enriched with insights into the conditions for success of radical protest in the Global South.
The overarching goal of this projetc is thus 1) to discuss the socio-political parameters that condition the impact and success of disruptive action under the roof of civil disobedience - also in comparison to more conventional forms of protest, 2) to consider radical protest and its effects in relation to the social structures within which resistance takes place, and 3) to shed light on the role of public and private meaning-making processes for the effectiveness and legitimacy of radical politics and civil disobedience across the globe.
Articles published so far in the frame of this project:
Volk, Christian, Grimm, Jannis. 2023. Über den demokratischen Gestus von Aktionen des zivilen Ungehorsams im Regime der Unruhe. Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen, 36(2), 179-185.
Grimm, J., Franzki, H., Salehi, M. 2023. Vorschläge für eine situierte Forschungsperspektive auf Gewalt(freiheit) im Kontext sozialer Mobilisierung. Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen, 36(2), 205-227.
Grimm, J., Franzki, H., Salehi, M. 2023. Neue Radikalität? Protest, Gewalt und ziviler Ungehorsam – Versuche einer Grenzziehung. Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen, 36(2), 179-185.
