Sometimes when doing research I can find myself getting increasingly frustrated that there is so much good academic literature on activism, campaigning, social movements, the interaction of creativity and the struggle for social change, direct action, and a whole host of other topics. I get frustrated because there is this body of literature that seems to be so alien to the grassroots networks I am a part of – that this literature is geared towards the ‘academic/artist’ side of what I do, not the ‘activist/being there on the streets’ side of what I do – and how the latter has not learnt from the former; likewise how the former often makes little attempt to engage with the latter. There’s even a body of recent literature by people such as Chatterton and Routledge that talks explicitly about this very dichotomy – the division between activism and the academy, and how to bridge it.
But academic articles are approaching the issue from within the academy, from a space where the value of what they are doing is obvious – from a position that values research and views it as a developmental tool. So out of my frustration at finding their writings was borne a new frustration that there was nothing written from the opposing (or perhaps parallel) activist stance: How we, as activists, should engage with academia as a tool that could help us develop what we do, as well as learn from earlier activist narratives.
Climate Rush are an example of trying to use an earlier activist narrative (of the suffragettes) to better understand and communicate the actions they are taking
My frustration was not unique. Many that I have spoken with share the same concern – that activism could be more effective, better thought through and use previous experience to grow and develop further. But how to find this literature… What to read… How to communicate the value of what is being read… What is the point in an activist, sitting alone in a room, reading academic articles if we are then unable to discuss, engage with, and potentially implement the ideas and lessons we are reading about.
Together with others who felt the same frustrations I did, but were also keen not just to learn from academia, but also to find ways, with other activists, of practically using it – we decided to set up an activist reading group. Different to a traditional political reading group as a prerequisite of any reading we do and discussion we have is that it has a practical application.
We want to open up a discursive space to read and discuss articles, podcasts, videos, books and other media that might help us as activists develop into the kick-ass system-changing collective we aspire to.
It may be that this discursive space, this opening up of activism through academia, is one way that Paul Routledge’s ‘Third Space’ could be put into action – not a project ‘from’ the academy, but one that ‘uses’ and is in dialogue with the academy (through the attendance of those who operate within academia) – each continually informing the other so that both develop in accordance with each others needs.
Now one month old, I hope to document the discussions we have on the blog – as well as (copy-left and creative commons permitting) post up the readings we are doing.