A Study of Demobilization and Remobilization in the Animal Advocacy Movement

• In Event: 40462 - Section on Animals and Society Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1: Animals and Politics

Abstract

This study examines the complex and underexamined processes of demobilization and remobilization within social movements. Drawing on Klandermans’ model of disengagement and Corrigall-Brown’s trajectory model of participation, findings from interviews with 13 animal rights activists — all of which have engaged in high-risk/cost activism — reveal how insufficient gratification and precipitating events serve as key triggers for disengagement, even while ideological commitment remains strong. Notably, the study demonstrates the dual role of precipitating events, which can both demobilize activists and catalyze re-engagement under the right conditions, particularly when strong relational ties are maintained. Additionally, the research expands the literature on burnout by highlighting moral shocks as both mobilizing and demobilizing forces, emphasizing the role of emotional regulation in sustaining activism. By exploring the dynamics of demobilization and remobilization, the study advances theoretical understandings of activist trajectories and offers actionable insights for fostering resilience and sustainability within activist communities.

Author

• Yasmin Koop-Monteiro, University of British Columbia