UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Overcoming 'Other-ness' : a comparative analysis of transnational activist collective identity formation among World Social Forum activists and HIV/AIDS healthworkers Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1g89b6v2 Authors Kohler, Kristopher Michael Kohler, Kristopher Michael Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Overcoming ‗Other-ness‘: A Comparative Analysis of Transnational Activist Collective Identity Formation among World Social Forum Activists and HIV/AIDS Healthworkers. A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Kristopher Michael Kohler Committee in Charge: Professor Ivan Evans, Chair Professor Bob Cancel Professor Steve Epstein Professor April Linton Professor Chris McAuley 2012 Copyright Kristopher Michael Kohler, 2012 All Rights Reserved The Dissertation of Kristopher Michael Kohler is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2012 iii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my friend, the late Kofi Buenor Hadjor, a passionate scholar-activist who spent his life challenging, inspiring and loving. And to my daughter, Gabriella Kamweji Kohler, who brings me hope and is a constant reminder that the world is our home and it still produces incredible beauty. iv EPIGRAPH … That‘s not radical. Bringing people together, that‟s radical. Aaron Jones Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. Karl Marx v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page………………………………………………………………………...iii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………..…iv Epigraph……………………………………………………………………………….v Table of Contents……………………………………………………………….…….vi List of Abbreviations………………………………………………………………….ix List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………x Vita……………………………………………………………………………………xi Abstract………………………………………………………………………………xii Chapter I: Introduction………………………………………………………………...1 Globalization as Transnational Encounter………………………………...1 Bretton Woods: From Stabilization to Instability…………………………4 Activist Responses to Global Challenges………………………………...11 Nation-State Impotency in an era of Globalization………………………13 Barriers to transnational social movements in practice…………………..19 Dissertation Summary of Chapters……………………………………………….25 Chapter II: Towards a Theory of Transnational Activist Identity Formation………..32 Transnationalism and Transnational Identity…………………………………….34 Rethinking Culture……………………………………………………….37 ―To refuse what we are‖: The Foucauldian double-bind of identity……..40 Defining Transnational Identity…………………………………………..45 Activism……………………………………………………………………..……46 The mass, the crowd and the herd……………………………………......46 The Rational-Choice Turn………………………………………………..48 Attempts to Bridge the Divide…………………………………………....51 Collective Identity and the Interpersonal Connection…………………....55 Creation of ―we‖……………………………………………………….....58 The Heartbeat of Movements: Culture, Symbols and Emotions………....60 Bridging Identities………………………………………………………..64 International Actors: Four ―Ideal Types‖…………………………………….72 The ―Professionals‖……………………………………….……………...73 The ―Localists‖ ……………………………………………………….….74 The ―Missionaries‖…………………………………………………..…...76 vi The Transnational Activists (TNAs)…………………………………….78 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….79 Chapter III: World Social Forum: A Case Study…………………………………….81 From Zapatismo Seattle………………………………………………………….81 A Note on Trans-National/ Trans-Cultural Collaboration……………………….88 The World Social Forum: Intro and Process……………………………………..90 History, Organization and a Counter-Hegemonic Vision …………….….91 Overcoming Divisions …………………………………………………...97 WSF Participants – Ethnography ………………………………………………100 Biography: Towards Transnational Identity Formation………………...100 History: Towards Transnational Identity Formation……………………102 Cultural ―Binding Practices‖: Towards Transnational Identity Formation……………………………………………………………….105 ―A Marcha‖ …………………………………………………….107 ―Um outro mundo é possível‖ ………………………………….108 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………113 Chapter IV: Transnationalism and Activism in Zambian History…………………..117 A Multi-National State…………………………………………………………..117 The Potential for Transnational Activism in the Developing World…………....120 Transnational ―Encounter‖………………………………………………………123 Transnationalism in Zambia……………………………………………………..128 A ―Nation of Refugees‖…………………………………………………130 The Prazo system and the Chikundu…………………………………….132 The British are Coming: Missionaries and the British South African Company………………………………………………………………...134 Partition, Colonization and Autonomy………………………………….135 Zambia: the Making of a Multi-national State…………………………..138 Joking for Peace…………………………………………………………146 Zambian Activism……………………………………………………………….147 ―One Zambia, One Nation‖……………………………………………...149 Pan-African Leadership…………………………………………………153 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………156 Chapter V: Transnational Journeys of HIV/AIDS Healthworkers in Zambia……...159 Why HIV/AIDS Healthworkers? A Methodological Justification……………..160 HIV/AIDS Healthworkers: Qualitative Data…………………………………...167 Contextualizing HIVAIDS work in Zambia: PEPFAR, NAC, independence and autonomy…………………………………………………………...169 Zambian Transnationalism……………………………………………...177 Foreigners and Transnationalism……………………………………….188 African Transnationalism……………………………………………….195 Transnational Identities…………………………………………………197 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………207 vii Chapter VI: Activist Journeys of HIV/AIDS Healthworkers in Zambia…………...211 Barriers to Zambian Activism…………………………………………………..212 Zambians and Activism…………………………………………………………222 Foreign Nationals and Activism………………………………………………...229 ―Catalytic experiences‖…………………………………………………………240 Chapter VII: Overcoming ‗Other-ness‘: Tracing the Dynamics of Transnational Activist Collective Identities………………………………………………………..242 A Public Sociology for HIV/AIDS Work………………………………………242 Theoretical Contributions……………………………………………………….247 On Transnationalism………………………………………………….....249 On Activism……………………………………………………………..250 Two Paths to Transnational Activist Identity Formation……………….251 Theorizing Emotion……………………………………………………..255 Cultures of Activism…………………………………………………….257 Appendix: A Note on Methodological Approach …………………………………..260 References…………… ……………………………………………………………..263 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AIDS – Acquired immune deficiency syndrome ANC – African National Congress (South Africa) HIV – Human immunodeficiency virus ICC – International Criminal Court IMF – International Monetary Fund M&E – Monitoring and evaluation NGO – Non-governmental organization NSM – New social movements SMI – Social movement industry SMO – Social movement organization SWAPO – South-West Africa People‘s Organization (Namibia) TB – Tuberculosis TNA – Transnational activist UN – United Nations UNIP – United National Independence Party (Zambia) WTO – World Trade Organization ZANU – Zimbabwe African National Union ZAPU – Zimbabwe African People‘s Union ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Four ―Ideal Types‖ of International Actors ……………………………79 Figure 7.1: Two Paths to Transnational Activist Identity Formation…………...…252 x VITA 1997 Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Santa Barbara, Political Science and Black Studies 2004 Master of Arts, University of California, San Diego, Sociology 2004-2006 Teaching Assistant, Sociology Department, University of California, San Diego 2006 Candidate of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, Sociology 2006- 2010 Teaching Assistant, Eleanor Roosevelt College, University of California, San Diego 2007 Lecturer, Sociology Department, University of California, San Diego 2011 Lecturer, Sociology Department, University of California, San Diego 2011-2012 Visiting Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Gerontology and Gender Studies, California State University, Stanislaus 2012 Lecturer, Sociology Department, University of California, Merced 2012 Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, Sociology PUBLICATIONS ―World Social Forum‖ in Ritzer, George (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Globalization, Wiley-Blackwell Publications, 2012 FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Sociology (Social Movements and Political Sociology) Professor Ivan Evans xi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Overcoming ‗Other-ness‘: A Comparative Analysis of Transnational Activist Collective Identity Formation among World Social Forum Activists and HIV/AIDS Healthworkers. by Kristopher Michael Kohler Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology University of California, San Diego, 2012 Professor Ivan Evans, Chair Increasingly global problems, concerning various effects of the global economy and the absence of global democracy, require global solutions. Particular nation-states and international spaces (UN, ICC, WTO, etc.) are ill-equipped to remedy these issues. Consequently, in recent years global social justice movements have emerged to address these challenges. xii Social movement scholars have long held that collective identities are crucial to recruiting adherents, sustaining solidarity and social movement cohesion. Therefore, the study of the formation of transnational activist (TNA) collective identities is of enormous importance to understanding the dynamics of emerging global social justice movements. Nonetheless, social movement scholars have generally ignored the specific