Complexity and Social Movements: Multitudes at the Edge of Chaos ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The street tactics on S26 found guarded support from within the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) a significant political party holding 41 parliamentary seats in 2000. Their formal participation was limited to the unified march on 23 September in an attempt to avoid further depictions of the party as a return to communism, re-nationalisation and a centralist state (Interview with Czech Activist [3]). Our respondent, with 40 years of experience within the organisation viewed the media campaign preceding S26 as ‘psychological war against our people, against this demonstration and this protest’. The official recognised the need ‘to learn more in the new condition, in the class condition’. In particular, it was clear that any attempt to mount other significant mass protests over neo-liberalism in the face of the new policing tactics required ways of protecting protestors, an area where the activities of the Italian tuti bianche, or white overall movement, were held in a favourable light and jokingly referred to a model for a ‘new vanguard’ (Interview with Czech Activist [3]). The repertoires of S26 thus exerted influence within established communist organisations. Tactical Frivolity and hybrid communication techniques Identities, protest dynamics and technology 53 The trajectory of Tactical Frivolity’s (TF) from the United Kingdom’s Northern Green Gathering to Prague involved the nucleus of the group driving across Europe in an old van. Their departure was delayed by the adoption of direct action techniques by those protesting at the price of fuel in the United Kingdom. Their progress across national borders had been facilitated by the press credentials of the Guardian reporter who also paid for the diesel. Unlike the internationals, TF were newcomers to AGM events, marginal actors with little standing outside the United Kingdom. Despite remaining marginal to convergence centre exchanges their stance embodied the commitment to non-violence and carnival which became a prominent feature of the Prague plateau. Their use of pink and silver carnival dress codes, rehearsed at various stopovers during their journey time, was combined with a determination to tactically utilise frivolity as a means of engaging directly with Kevlar clad riot police. Their en-route discussions prioritised the importance of manoeuvrability and communications to maximise their impact and resulted in one of their number gaining access to the fortified IMF/WB conference complex. To observers associated with the third element, their resultant progress across Prague appeared chaotic and uncoordinated as they lacked local guides. This perception belies a lack of understanding of the sophisticated hybrid communication strategies in use during S26. INPEG and convergence centre discussions had initially focussed on acquiring sophisticated radio communications system to facilitate events on the street. This reflects the wider tendency to prioritise ‘modern’ technologies including CMC in accounts of AGM activities. TF’s progress towards the
54 Identities, protest dynamics and technology IMF/WB conference centre was guided by a hybrid combination of ancient and modern communiation techniques. On the ground, runners and bicycle scouts sought out weak spots in the police cordons reporting back directly to the Pink and Silver march. These ancient time-honoured techniques were supplemented from ‘Centrum’ – a group of activists located in a hotel with a number of mobile phones operating on local sim cards. Centrum was established as a secure communication node at the insistence of internationals not prepared to undertake this work from an INPEG office subject to surveillance. Centrum mapped the location of the main marches and police concentrations and co-ordinated movements between the various marches in a number of languages. Guidance was relayed to the street marches using grid co-ordinates for ease of communication given the limited command of the Czech language. The anonymity of the hotel room meant that communications could only be interrupted by tracing call locations or disabling mobile phone networks. These ancient and modern communication techniques were ‘fused’ on the streets through the use of flags or standards which would be raised signifying various needs. As one activist put it So suddenly this flag with a fish on it would go up and ok so you knew it was time to huddle and come to some agreement about which way to go. (Interview British Activist [3]) As TF came under increasing police pressure ‘Centrum’ was able to inform other marches and seek to reinforce their numbers. Underlying the apparent chaos of Pink and Silver lay a parallel form of what is known in military terms as command, control and communication Intelligence (C3i). In contrast to this multi-layered communication process the mainstream Czech print media carried articles speculating that the demonstrators’ success could be attributed to highly sophisticated jamming of electronic communications (e.g. Lidove noviny 30.09.00, p. 2). Accounts of the multi-layered communications strategy were initially confined to activist circles as the ensuing mainstream coverage of the event focussed upon the violent clashes which occurred towards the end of the day. The multiplier effects of these innovative street tactics were thus initially confined within the network of networks finding expression in a variety of movement media (e.g. Do or Die, 9 and Prague Indymedia). Tactical Frivolity: carnival in Yer face TF is an area where we are data rich and can add significant depth in terms of the ontological positioning of key members, group motivations, aims, objectives and social support networks. Like Greenham Women (Roseneil 1995) TF were enabled by men willing to take on familial duties and act as
Page 2 and 3:
Complexity and Social Movements Che
Page 4 and 5:
Complexity and Social Movements Mul
Page 6 and 7:
Contents List of figures vi Acknowl
Page 8 and 9:
Acknowledgements With thanks to all
Page 10:
Preface ix activists and engaged ci
Page 13 and 14: 2 Introducing global movements poli
Page 15 and 16: 4 Introducing global movements arou
Page 17 and 18: 6 Introducing global movements esta
Page 19 and 20: 8 Introducing global movements Thes
Page 21 and 22: 10 Introducing global movements exp
Page 23 and 24: 12 Introducing global movements che
Page 25 and 26: 14 Introducing global movements Fra
Page 27 and 28: 16 Introducing global movements ‘
Page 29 and 30: 18 Introducing global movements for
Page 31 and 32: 20 Introducing global movements and
Page 33 and 34: 2 Prefiguration and emergence Intro
Page 35 and 36: 24 Prefiguration and emergence on T
Page 37 and 38: 26 Prefiguration and emergence 9 If
Page 39 and 40: 28 Prefiguration and emergence Prop
Page 41 and 42: 30 Prefiguration and emergence agai
Page 43 and 44: 32 Prefiguration and emergence C. E
Page 45 and 46: 34 Prefiguration and emergence The
Page 47 and 48: 36 Prefiguration and emergence Glob
Page 49 and 50: 38 Prefiguration and emergence In t
Page 51 and 52: 40 Prefiguration and emergence Neo-
Page 53 and 54: 42 Prefiguration and emergence from
Page 55 and 56: 44 Identities, protest dynamics and
Page 63: 52 Identities, protest dynamics and
Page 79 and 80: 68 States fight back when trust in
Page 81 and 82: 70 States fight back academically,
Page 83 and 84: 72 States fight back streets from d
Page 85 and 86: 74 States fight back ‘green Parli
Page 87 and 88: 76 States fight back to trivialise
Page 89 and 90: 78 States fight back beneath Big Be
Page 91 and 92: 80 States fight back ran out. The p
Page 93 and 94: 82 States fight back The attempt to
Page 95 and 96: 84 States fight back Accounts of th
Page 97 and 98: 86 States fight back hair, infringe
Page 99 and 100: 88 States fight back crisis is in e
Page 101 and 102: 5 Ecologies of action within global
Page 103 and 104: 92 Ecologies of action attractor wi
Page 105 and 106: 94 Ecologies of action embedded in
Page 107 and 108: 96 Ecologies of action The assimila
Page 109 and 110: 98 Ecologies of action compatibilit
Page 111 and 112: 100 Ecologies of action linking up
Page 113 and 114: 102 Ecologies of action occurred wi
Page 115 and 116:
104 Ecologies of action leading to
Page 117 and 118:
106 Ecologies of action siege of in
Page 119 and 120:
108 Beyond resistance to global nex
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
7 The death of collective identity?
Page 141 and 142:
130 Global movement as a parallelog
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
148 The map is not the territory th
Page 161 and 162:
150 The map is not the territory of
Page 163 and 164:
152 The map is not the territory Ne
Page 165 and 166:
154 The map is not the territory mi
Page 167 and 168:
156 The map is not the territory or
Page 169 and 170:
158 The map is not the territory mo
Page 171 and 172:
160 The map is not the territory of
Page 173 and 174:
162 The map is not the territory ne
Page 175 and 176:
Notes 1 Introducing global movement
Page 177 and 178:
166 Notes 12 Ya Basta’s! subseque
Page 179 and 180:
168 Notes 19 This practice has been
Page 181 and 182:
170 Notes Afro Bloc parading drum b
Page 183 and 184:
172 Bibliography Barker, C., Johnso
Page 185 and 186:
174 Bibliography De Sousa Santos, B
Page 187 and 188:
176 Bibliography Grubacic, A. (2003
Page 189 and 190:
178 Bibliography Lash, S. (2002) Cr
Page 191 and 192:
180 Bibliography O’Neill, J. (200
Page 193 and 194:
182 Bibliography Thompson, E.P. (19
Page 195 and 196:
Index Note: Page numbers in italics
Page 197 and 198:
186 Index class: affinities 93; and
Page 199 and 200:
188 Index G7 23 G8 23, 100; meeting
Page 201 and 202:
190 Index London 52, 63, 69, 116; E
Page 203 and 204:
192 Index Poland 44, 45; ‘Orange
Page 205 and 206:
194 Index Taylor, P. 168 n.2; call
show all

Complexity and Social Movements: Multitudes at the Edge of Chaos ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?