Everyday Activism in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

This panel aims to understand and explain the varieties of 21st century civil society activism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Activism 30 years after the fall of communist rule is not what scholars, donors, or activists from the region expected. However, individuals and groups are certainly organizing but in different ways to promote change in a number of sectors. To capture the nature and activities of civil society in the post-communist region, this panel will investigate social activism in different sectors and countries, which often respond to populist leaders, movements and ideas that reflect inequality and/or political dissatisfaction.
The comparative case studies consider historical trends associated with civil society activism, with a focus on the relationships with international actors and national and local governments. The papers also look at contemporary activism, the issues that motivate individuals; the values underpinning priorities, and the ways in which individuals choose to engage and mobilize. We know that 21st century activism looks different from what took place during the immediate transition from Communist-party rule or from the subsequent activism of the early 2000s, which was driven by Western donors who have since reduced their funding and we are that today’s civil society activism looks more like what we call “everyday activism,” in which local people tend to be engaged in cause-oriented, informal forms of activism that address concrete problems. However, because mobilization to address community-focused problems does not fit neatly into Western donors’ desire for advocacy to advance liberal democratic policies, this often occurs through more informal forms and, thus, tends to be ignored by Western scholarship.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 13: The Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Individual Presentations

• New Forms of Gender Activism in Contemporary Russia - Valerie Sperling, Clark University; Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom, University of British Columbia

• Everyday Environmentalism in Russia - Laura A. Henry, Bowdoin College

• Different Forms of Citizen Activism around Local Community Problems in Bosnia - Paula M. Pickering, College of William & Mary

Chair

• Regine A. Spector University of Massachusetts

Discussant

• Regine A. Spector University of Massachusetts