What happened to Occupy? Collective Identity Transformations across a Protest Wave

• In Event: 1254 - The Evolution of Social Movements

Abstract

During protest waves, participants not only develop tactical repertoires and frame goals that resonate widely and quickly, they also create new collective identities. Drawing on participant observation of Occupy Oakland in 2012 and 2016, an archive of movement documents, and 37 in-depth semi-structured key informant interviews, we address the research question: How do constructions of collective identity change over the course of a protest wave? Findings indicate that participants engage in three phases of collective identity construction, which we have termed: tributary, channel, and distributary phases. Occupy Oakland developed and transformed when participants achieved the occupy identity. Occupy Oakland changed again when new groups grew out of the occupy identity and reconfigured into new organizations. Some of the lasting distributary identities include an urban farm, community center, anti-surveillance campaigns, the protest encampment tactic, and mobilizing for Bernie Sanders for the U.S. Presidency. We discuss implications for theory about protest waves and collective identity and suggest future research.

Authors

• Heather McKee Hurwitz, Case Western Reserve University

• Brianne Felsher, University of California Berkeley