The biographical consequences of protest and activism: a systematic review and a new typology

Vestergren, Sara; Drury, John; Chiriac, Eva Hammar

doi:10.1080/14742837.2016.1252665

Cited by 108 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Previous studies have shown that participation in collective action can transform participants psychologically in various ways. In a systematic review of the literature, Vestergren, Drury, and Hammar Chiriac () found 19 different types of such psychological changes across 57 studies. A common finding in these studies was that former activists differed from non‐activists a long time after participation in collective action on various demographic, behavioural, and psychological measures, such as marital status (McAdam, ), having children (Franz & McClelland, ), relationship ties (Shriver, Miller, & Cable, ), work–life/career (Profitt, ), further involvement (Sherkat & Blocker, ), identity (Klandermans, Sabucedo, Rodriguez, & de Weerd, ), empowerment (Blackwood & Louis, ), radicalization (Marwell, Aiken, & Demerath, ), legitimacy (Drury & Reicher, ), sustained commitment (Fendrich & Lovoy, ), consumer behaviour (Stuart, Thomas, Donaghue, & Russell, ), self‐esteem/self‐confidence (Macgillivray, ), general well‐being (Boehnke & Wong, ), religion (Sherkat, ), organizing (Friedman, ), knowledge (Lawson & Barton, ), and home skills (Cable, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How collective action produces psychological change and how that change endures over time: A case study of an environmental campaign

Vestergren

Drury

Chiriac

2018

British J Social Psychol

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114

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Previous research on collective action has suggested that both intra‐ and intergroup interactions are important in producing psychological change. In this study, we examine how these two forms of interaction relate to each other over time. We present results from a longitudinal ethnographic study of participation in an environmental campaign, documenting endurance and prevalence of psychological change. Participants, locals (n = 14) and self‐defined activists (n = 14), connected enduring psychological changes, such as changes in consumer behaviour and attitudes to their involvement in the environmental campaign. Thematic analysis of interviews suggested that participants linked the process of change to categorizing themselves in a new environmental‐activist way that influenced their everyday lives beyond the immediate campaign. This recategorization was a result of a conflictual intergroup relationship with the police. The intergroup interaction produced supportive within‐group relationships that facilitated the feasibility and sustainability of new world views that were maintained by staying active in the campaign. The data from the study support and extend previous research on collective action and are the basis of a model, suggesting that intragroup processes condition the effects of intergroup dynamics on sustained psychological change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How collective action produces psychological change and how that change endures over time: A case study of an environmental campaign

Vestergren

Drury

Chiriac

2018

British J Social Psychol

Self Cite

114

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“…However, in order to understand inaction, we need to consider the experiences of people who are ambivalent: that is, people who are attitudinally sympathetic but not active, or who infrequently participate in some actions. These people's experiences may be qualitatively different from committed activists (see Hansson & Jacobsson, 2014;Livingstone, 2014;Vestergren, Drury, & Chiriac, 2017). The online survey design also addresses a pragmatic difficulty associated with studying those who typically do not turn up to events, and facilitates a larger sample than an interview study.…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action

Stuart

Thomas

Donaghue

2018

J. Soc. Polit. Psych.

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This paper considers collective action non-participation by people sympathetic but not committed to participating in actions for social change ('sympathisers'). We conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended written accounts of the barriers to participating in sustained collective action (N = 112), finding that people can be reluctant to engage in some types of collective action. Participants wrote about the potential for detrimental consequences resulting from association with 'protesters', concern that they may be undermined by 'extreme' fringes of a movement, ambivalence about the visible performance of group normative behaviours (specifically, protesting), and trepidation about 'loss of self' within a group. We discuss the findings in relation to theory on social (dis)identification, social (dis)incentives, and identity performances, arguing that inaction does not necessarily stem from apathy. Rather, people may engage in motivated inaction -that is, active avoidance of some types of actions, or from affiliations with particular groups, as a response to negative inferences about the legitimacy or efficacy of some forms of collective action. Practical strategies are suggested for groups and individuals, including the potential for people to take actions for social change independently of a formally organised movement.Keywords: collective action, inaction, social incentives, social identity, identity performance, autonomy, participative efficacy, protest, activist stigma Non-Technical Summary BackgroundIn order to maintain a healthy democracy, people need to be invested in the functioning of their society and mindful of their impact on other people and the environment. One of the main forms of democratic participation (other than voting) is the engagement in protest -public coordinated actions that are usually organised by a group of people who share grievances. Yet most of the people who say they care about the social issues do not usually participate in these protests or take other collective actions.

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“…But the loss this represents to players goes beyond economic self‐interest. Researchers have documented wide‐ranging, life‐shaping effects tied to defining moments of individual activism (Vestergren, Drury, and Chiriac, ; McAdam, ). In an era when former NFL players and other athletes can make themselves into potent candidates for high office (Canon, ; Roberds and Roberts, ), missing a defining moment of activism among their colleagues may mean missing a call to future public service.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stifling Workplace Activism: The Consequences of Anthem Protests for NFL Players

Niven

2019

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective Tracking the future contract status of NFL players affords a rare opportunity to test whether there were repercussions for participating in the 2017 national anthem protest and whether more vulnerable players were right to be wary of the owners’ wrath. Methods A sample of NFL players with comparable performance is used to compare how protesters and nonprotesters were treated in their next contract. Results Data reveal distinct differences in treatment between NFL players who protested and those who did not. In short, protesters were more likely to take a pay cut, see their salaries grow at a lower rate, and were more likely to be sent to another team. Conclusion The results suggest the need for critics to acknowledge the real career consequences athletes can face for political activism. Moreover, if NFL players—who work in the public eye, hold proven track records of accomplishment, and compete in a market that prides itself on analytic efficiency—can be punished by their employers for political activism, it suggests the truly profound vulnerability of everyday workers who labor without those advantages.

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The biographical consequences of protest and activism: a systematic review and a new typology

Abstract: Eva (2016) The biographical consequences of protest and activism: a systematic review and a new typology. Social Movement Studies, 16 (2). pp. 203-221.

Cited by 108 publications

References 88 publications

How collective action produces psychological change and how that change endures over time: A case study of an environmental campaign

How collective action produces psychological change and how that change endures over time: A case study of an environmental campaign

“I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action

Stifling Workplace Activism: The Consequences of Anthem Protests for NFL Players

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