Repertoires of Activism: Accounting for Individual, Cultural and Contextual Factors

• In Event: 261 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Activism and Social Movements

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between political cultures and structures, and different repertoires of political engagement through the analysis of cross-national data on 36 countries. Much of the available literature attributes differences in repertoires and tactics to strategic choices made by activists based on considerations such as cost and efficiency. This paper argues for a shift in focus from the strategic to the cultural. I show that different repertoires of engagement have more resonance with individuals from different socio-demographic, socio-economic and national backgrounds. Gender, class and individually held beliefs and values translate into differences in repertoires of activism. Political cultures and institutions also affect the ways in which individuals, who may or may not be part of organized social movements groups, become politically engaged. This paper shows that beyond rational, strategic decision making, at the individual level, decisions about political engagement may also be affected by social, cultural and political factors which pervade individuals’ daily lives.

Author

• Anna Slavina, University of Toronto