Organizing in the Working-Class: Contradictions, Learning & The
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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education ORGANIZING IN THE WORKING-CLASS: CONTRADICTIONS, LEARNING & THE MAKING OF LEFT ORGANIZERS A Dissertation in Lifelong Learning & Adult Education by Keon Mercedes-Liberato © 2017 Keon Mercedes-Liberato Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctoral of Philosophy December 2017 ii The dissertation of Keon Mercedes-Liberato was reviewed and approved* by the following: Fred M. Schied Associate Professor of Education Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Mark S. Anner Associate Professor of Labor and Employment Relations Center Director, Center for Global Workers’ Rights Leland L. Glenna Associate Professor of Rural Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society Community, Environment, and Development Program Coordinator Adnan Qayyum Associate Professor of Adult Education Susan M. Land Associate Professor of Education (Learning, Design, and Technology) Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Learning & Performance Systems *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT This study synthesizes Marxist theory of movements and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to explore social movement learning within movement organizing activity. The study poses and answers the following questions: how do Leftists learn through social movement organizing activity? What activities constitute movement organizing? What are the contradictions and learning that occur within these activities? In this critical ethnography, data was collected over a four-year period using participant observation, informal interview, and semi-formal interviews with twenty-seven Left organizers involved in working-class organizing projects. Audio-visual, and written documents also served as important sources of data. The use of field notes, and theoretical memos were instrumental in aiding in reflection and analysis of the data (Charmaz, 2014). An important finding of this study is that social movement organizing consists of three concrete interconnected activities: base-building, leadership development, and mobilization. A second finding is that historic macro-level racialized class relations generate contradictions within micro-level activities of movement organizing. One important way this was expressed was through uneven opportunities for leadership development which resulted in predominantly middle class and white Left leadership of predominantly working-class Black and Brown organizations within Black and Brown working-class communities (leadership from without). This finding coincides with previous studies of movement composition (Croteau, 1995; Morris & Staggenborg, 2002; Zugman, 2013). The third finding was that learning to lead/organize requires that people confront the specific contradictions of leadership. Consequently, those members of the base not tasked with iv executive level and/or directive participation are denied the opportunity for such development. This perpetuates the predominance of outside leadership, which is in contradiction with the self- emancipatory rule underpinning Left movement organizing, as articulated by the organizers in this study. This study supports the notion that learning occurs within social movements. However, it suggests that learning is only a potential outcome of confronting contradictions within movement activity. Furthermore, this study suggests that the development of leadership capacity (a specific kind of social movement learning) occurs only when movement participants are confronted with the opportunity to grapple with contradictions associated with that mode of participation in movements. v Table of Contents List of Figures........................................................................................................... viii List of Tables............................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………... x Chapter 1. Introduction............................................................................................ 1 Coming to the Question.................................................................................... 1 Background to the Problem: Social Movements .............................................. 6 Theoretical Problems in the Social Movement Learning Literature................. 8 Purpose and Theoretical Framework………………………………………… 10 Research Question…………………………………………………………… 12 Definition of Theoretical Concepts…………………………………………… 14 Overview of the Dissertation...................................................... ........................20 Chapter 2. Critical Review of Social Movement Theory........................................ 22 Introduction to Social Movement Theory……………………………………. 22 Classical Theories of Social Movements.......................................................... 22 Pro-Mobilization Theory.................................................................................... 25 Resource Mobilization Theory...................................................................... 26 Political Process Theory.................................................................................31 New Social Movement Theory …………………………………………....... 36 Recent Marxist Approaches………............................…………………………48 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….. 58 Chapter 3. Critical Review of Social Movement Learning Literature....................... 60 Introduction..........................................................................................................60 Political and Theoretical Underpinnings of SML....................................... 61 Social Movements as Sites of Knowledge Production…............................. 62 Popular Education and Knowledge Production…....................................... 64 Social Movement Organizations as Sites of Learning…............................. 69 Mobilizations as Sites of SML....................................…….....................… 72 Marxist Approaches to SML................................. ……………….................... 73 New Socialization as SML....................................………………………… 81 Early/Prior Political Learning as SML ....................................……………. 84 The Development of Organic Intellectuals as SML...................................... 86 Artifact Production as SML ………….......................................................... 92 Paulo Freire & SML ……............................................................................. 94 Theoretical Concerns Regarding the Literature on SML..................................... 98 Towards a Marxist Conceptualization of SML ……...................................…… 102 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 106 vi Chapter 4. Cultural Historical Activity Theory……………………………......... 108 Vygotsky and Mediation………………………………………………….... 109 Signs, Tools, and Mediation……………………………………………........ 111 Leontiev’s Levels of Human Agency………………………………………... 112 Operations…………………………………………….............................. 113 Actions……………………………………………................................... 115 Activity……………………………………………................................... 116 Engestrom’s Contribution to CHAT……………………………………….... 118 Theoretical Openings for CHAT…………………………………………....... 121 Social Relations……………………………..…………............................. 121 Learning....................................................................................................... 124 Standpoint & Power in Activity Systems…………………………….......... 126 Chapter 5. Research Design…………………………………………….................. 132 Critical Ethnography…………………………………………… ..................... 132 The Research Site ……………………………………………......................... 134 Research Questions……………………………………………........................ 135 Data Collection…………………………………………….............................. 136 Participant Observation & Sample Selection ……………… ..................... 136 Being an Insider & Outsider……………………………………… 140 Sample Selection..............................................................................` 142 Informal Interviews…………………………………………….................. 146 Semi-structured Interviews……………………………………………...... 147 Data Analysis……………………………………………....................................... 151 Open/Initial Coding……………………………………………................. 151 Focused Coding……………………………………………........................ 153 Trustworthiness & Ethical Considerations............................................................... 158 Chapter 6. Findings…………………………………………........................ .......... 160 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 160 Social Movement Organizing as Activity Network…………………................. 160 Base-building Activity……………………………………………..................... 162 Leadership Development Activity……………………………………………... 183 Campaign Mobilization Activity……………………………………………... 198 Overview of Key Social Movement Learning & Contradictions…….............. 216 Conclusion: Contradictions & Learning……..................................................... 232 Chapter 7. Conclusions & Implications……………………………………............ 301 CHAT & Learning......................................................................................................302 Learning & Social Movement Organizing........................................................... 305 The Learning of Individuals...........................................................................306 vii Collective