Structure

1.

Activist sociology and/or Sociology of

activism
2. 3. 4. 5.

Networks: anti-war activisms Organisations: projectised NGOs? Movements: new wave activisms Meanings: generational scripts revisited

Activist Sociology and/or Sociology of Activism

"Radical sociologists may dream of revolution, but they bank on their profession (Jaccoby, 1993) Political activist ethnography is rooted in movement action and experience and does not convert movements or activists into objects of analysis or theory (Frampton et al, 2006) Reflexivity matters: not from above or from nowhere (Marcus, 1995) Purism doesnt: preference for bending and blending methods (Lendvai and Stubbs, 2006)

A Journey in Search of a Method?

(Uneven) Participations/(Scattered) Observations Fragmentary interviews and texts over a VERY long period of

time Loosely ethnographic (netnography; auto; reflexive; analytical; theoretically-informed; multi-sited; multi-scalar, ...) Exploring Agency-Structure-Institutions-Discourses (Moulaert and Jessop, 2006) Rendering Time and Space problematic conjunctures, forces, confluences Broad move from study of civil society to study of social energy The methodological nationalism problem

Networks: anti-war activisms

Antiwar Campaign, Croatia as a network of

networks, prefiguring organisations in civil society Shaped by ecology-peace-feminist activisms from 80s (nb 70s human rights-student-dissident) Constrained by authoritarian nationalisms Transnational solidarities (volunteer projects) NOT externally-driven BUT variable (discursive) geometries Anti-political and personal/conscientised politics Non-violent conflict resolution frame? Creative experimentation (esp ArkZin, ZaMir)

Organisations: projectised NGOs?

Progressive NGOs gender - human rights

trauma therapy - peace-bdng- com dev DwP Alternative learning: CS, CMS, MaMa, ... Issue-driven Coalitions Glas 99, Stop the War in Iraq, ... Significant but uneven external funding impacts on salaries, structures, geometries, vision and projects technopolitics? New forms of regionalism Soros Emerging state funding with or against the state - meta-NGOs - civil society development

Movements: new wave activisms

New themes: public space-commons -

decommodification right to free higher education - alternatives to (neo-liberal/croney) capitalism direct democracy anti-austerity Explicit (if diverse) theories of praxis inc. Marxisms Some continuities Zelena akcija, MaMa, ARK+, .. Politicised external support (Bll Zelena akademija; Rosa Luxembourg stiftung) Strategic shifting geometries, tactical experimentation and post-party politics? NGOs as trojan horse of neo-liberalism or ...

Meanings: generational scripts revisited

Generation/Wave n Generation/Wave o

Generation/Wave p

National contexts
Discursive Frames

Wars of the Yugoslav Normalisation and succession reform

Peace, Individual freedoms and conscience War and authoritarian nationalism Inter-personal BBS & Tactical media SFRJ/Croatia/PostYu/Europe & US

Crony capitalism EU Accession

Economic prosperity Resource justice and and liberal collective freedoms democracy Statism, bureaucracy, inertia Organisational Internet Croatia/Western Balkans SEE/Europe and US Neo-liberalism Resource plunder Political Blogs & Tactical media Croatia/global

Discursive Opposition Relations New media Geographical space

Hvala na panji!
pstubbs@eizg.hr