Beyond inclusion? Perceptions of the extent to which Extinction Rebellion speaks to, and for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and working-class communities

Bell, Karen; Bevan, Gnisha

doi:10.1080/13549839.2021.1970728

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…Past research in this area has largely focused on exploring social identity and collective action intentions in a smaller sample of XR activists to test the SIMCA model (Furlong & Vignoles, 2021), or using solely qualitative data to examine determinants of social identification (Bell & Bevan, 2021). We built on this work by measuring actual behavioural engagement in a larger sample of the general British population (n=1100) that is representative by age, gender and ethnicity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from focusing on those already engaged with XR, this study did not investigate revealed behavioural engagement, as it only measured collective action intentions and past XR engagement behaviours. Finally, based on interviews with 40 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and working-class people in England and Wales, Bell & Bevan (2021) found that XR's tactics and messages have tended to alienate BAME and working-class people. This study suggests that social identification may depend on belongingness to socio-demographic groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barriers to Climate Activism: The Vital Role of Social Identification

Parkes¹,

Thomas‐Walters²,

Sabherwal³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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This article examines whether there is a collective climate action intention-behaviour gap amongst the British public, and the role of social identification in bridging the gap. Using a nationally representative survey (n=1100), we measured participant’s intentions to take collective climate action (such as volunteering, sharing climate change information with friends, protesting), and actual behavioural engagement with Extinction Rebellion (XR), a large-scale environmental movement. We also measured psychological factors based on the Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action (SIMPEA) model, such as social identification, and socio-demographic characteristics. We found 50% of the participants were inclined abstainers, i.e., they expressed intentions to take collective climate action despite not having performed any actions with XR so far. Based on a moderated mediation model, we found that social identification predicted behavioural engagement with XR but did not moderate the collective climate action intention-behaviour gap. We discuss why this may be the case, including the role of public perceptions of how effective and disruptive XR's actions are.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to Climate Activism: The Vital Role of Social Identification

Parkes¹,

Thomas‐Walters²,

Sabherwal³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This fosters the implication that there exists a hierarchy between citizens: those that are saving and those that are being saved. By creating a division between those that join the movement and those that do not, there is again a disregard shown for the differentiated communities that make up the United Kingdom and the various priorities, worldviews, and socio-economic conditions that participation in such a movement (Bell and Bevan, 2021). Second, it centers on a theory of change on an individual basis.…”

Section: What If Not Science? Justice and The Development Of The Disc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of scientific knowledge in Extinction Rebellion's communication of climate futures

Hinks

Rödder

2023

Front. Commun.

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IntroductionExtinction Rebellion (XR) is one of the central players in climate movements in the United Kingdom. Considering the historical relationship that environmentalists have had with science and scientific knowledge, we examine the current treatment of science in the narrative put forward by XR United Kingdom.MethodsUsing mixed qualitative methods, the group's online press releases for the year 2019 were analysed, alongside fieldwork from 2 weeks spent at the United Nations' climate conference in Glasgow in 2021. The fieldwork data consists of participant observation combined with semi-structured interviews.ResultsThe movement's demand to “tell the truth” utilises a narrative established on a fact-based enlightenment. This is complemented by notions of a fixed temporal deadline and predicted societal collapse. We highlight prominent perspectives that came to light and identify three main positions that the activists held with respect to science.DiscussionThe findings show the positioning of science and scientific knowledge as a supreme authority, which acts to depoliticize the discourse and induces reductionism in imagining climate futures. This positioning, combined with the centrality of apocalyptic imagery, hampers the construction of alternative futures and fails to engage meaningfully with climate justice.

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“…They are instrumentally worrisome too. Climate movements that attract fewer and less diverse members have lower force‐in‐numbers, lower epistemic ability to discover effective activist means and appropriate climate aims, and less ability to forge solidaristic alliances with movements that pursue other social causes (see Bell & Bevan, 2021, p. 1216).…”

Section: Concernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ethics of climate activism

Garcia‐Gibson

2023

WIREs Climate Change

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Climate activism, and ethical reflection on it, is expanding in line with increased awareness of global warming's destructive effects. The ethics of climate activism has focused on two main questions. First, is there a duty to engage in climate activism? Answers to this question differ regarding how the duty is grounded, how demanding it is, and whether people in certain social roles have special duties to engage in climate activism. The second question is whether certain forms of climate activism are morally permissible, given certain frequently voiced concerns. Prominently, concerns about climate activism being ineffective, uninclusive, undemocratic, and violent. The review ends by pointing to other issues that the ethics of climate activism is likely to address in the near future. This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Ethics and Climate Change

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Beyond inclusion? Perceptions of the extent to which Extinction Rebellion speaks to, and for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and working-class communities

Cited by 20 publications

References 22 publications

Barriers to Climate Activism: The Vital Role of Social Identification

Barriers to Climate Activism: The Vital Role of Social Identification

The role of scientific knowledge in Extinction Rebellion's communication of climate futures

The ethics of climate activism

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