Hybrid Activism: Social Movement Mobilization in a Multimovement Environment

Abstract

Antiwar movements mobilize in environments in which many of their potential supporters maintain loyalties to other social movements. Social movement organizations must find ways to attract supporters from these allied movements if peace demonstrations are to achieve critical mass. We argue that organizations with hybrid identities -those whose organizational identities span the boundaries of the antiwar movement and one or more other social movements -are vital to mobilizations for peace. Our analysis draws upon original data from surveys of 5,410 antiwar demonstrators conducted in 2007-2009, combined with publicly available data on 526 organizations that helped to mobilize them. Regression analysis using a two-stage mixed-process estimator shows that individuals with past involvement in non-antiwar movements are more likely to join hybrid organizations than are individuals without involvement in non-antiwar movements. Regression analyses using Tobit and Negative Binomial panel estimators establish that organizations with hybrid identities occupy relatively more central positions in interorganizational co-contact networks within the antiwar movement, and contact significantly more participants in demonstrations, than do their peer organizations. A movementlevel examination of the distribution of hybrid organizations helps to pinpoint some of the strengths and weaknesses in antiwar organizing. For example, numerous hybrid organizations form on the basis of gender and religious identities, but few organizations form to connect with environmental, African-American, and Latino activists. We conclude by proposing a broader research agenda on hybrid organizations, as well as on the role of individual biographies in social movements. Keywords

Social movement coalitions: Formation, longevity, and success

“…Consistent with the general social movements literature, which emphasizes the importance of social ties to social movement recruitment, social ties between individuals and organizations also influence which organizations will participate in a coalition (Bystydzienski & Schacht, ; Corrigall‐Brown & Meyer, ; Heaney & Rojas, ; Maney, ; Obach, ; Reese, Petit, & Meyer, ; Richards, ; Rose, ; Roth, ; Shaffer, ). Whether or not a coalition forms, as well as which organizations join a particular coalition, are profoundly influenced by the presence of “coalition brokers” or “bridge builders,”—individuals with ties across organizations (Bystydzienski & Schacht, ; Grossman, ; Obach, ; Rose, ).…”

“…Van Dyke () finds multi‐issue organizations, such as the Students for a Democratic Society and the Democratic Socialists, helped bring together broad coalitions of protesters on college campuses over a 60‐year time span. Heaney and Rojas () provide insight into the importance of multi‐issue organizations, and how they are able to facilitate coalition formation. They describe hybrid antiwar movement organizations that straddle multiple identities, including individuals with past experience in a range of social movements.…”

“…Scholarship demonstrates that cultural similarities between movement actors (Bandy & Smith, ; Jung, King, & Soule, ), consistent ideologies (Altemose & McCarty, ; Brecher & Costello, ; Cullen, ; Di Gregorio, ; Dreiling, ; Enriquez, ; Gerhards & Rucht, ; Lichterman, ; Mayer, Brown, & Morello‐Frosch, ; Park, ; Staggenborg, ; Whittier, ) and collective identity (Barvosa‐Carter2001, Corrigall‐Brown & Meyer, ; Heaney & Rojas, ; Krinsky & Reese, ; Maney, ; Van Stekelenburg & Klandermans, ; Takeshi 2014; Valocchi, ; Vicari, ; Whittier, ) aid in coalition formation. Indeed, ideological and cultural congruence is a pivotal factor in promoting or preventing coalition formation.…”

The push for transgender inclusion: Exploring boundary spanning in the gay–straight alliance

“…Recently, some GSA groups are beginning to take stalk in these concerns and have begun to hybridize their membership identity (see Heaney & Rojas, ) by retitling the club as a “Gender‐Sexuality Alliance.” Although limited scholarly attention has sought to address this phenomenon, numerous studies offer compelling evidence on the importance of using inclusive language to create a sense of membership and belonging among and within groups (Page, ; Weinberg, ). As a form of in‐school activism, this movement tactic allows clubs to maintain the now well established and recognizable “GSA” acronym while encompassing a wider spectrum of members in which to garner new supporters.…”

Why Target the “Good Guys”? The Determinants of Terrorism Against NGOs

“…There are some organizations that could be classified as "hybrids," behaving both as service and advocacy organizations (seeHeaney and Rojas 2011;Murdie and Davis 2012). Here, we contend that any advocacy mission-but especially a human rights mission-could make an organization likely to be viewed as a possible competitor for a terrorist group.…”