For the Long Haul: Challenging Ideologies of Social Movement Participation Through Counter-Stories of Activist Burnout
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1 For the Long Haul: Challenging Ideologies of Social Movement Participation Through Counter-Stories of Activist Burnout by Kathryn Wettlaufer A thesis presented to the Independent Studies Program of the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirements for the degree Bachelor of Independent Studies (BIS) Waterloo, ON, Canada Six Nations of the Grand River (Haudenosaunee) Territory 2015 3 ABSTRACT It is a widely accepted truth, in the academic and activist literature alike, that burnout jeopardizes the sustainability of social movements and their actors. More disputable is whether its cause, or blame, lies in collective pressures or personal choices. This thesis takes up critical theory to develop a narrative inquiry into the dynamics between the two, in pursuit of answers to more complex questions about the origins of burnout: What ideologies of social movement participation dominate activist spaces? How do they manifest in subcultural norms and practices? And how do participants themselves navigate or negotiate these collective expectations, in order to “do activism” or do activism differently, in ways that are personally (un)sustainable? Narrative analysis was conducted using data collected during life story interviews with ten social and environmental justice activists from across Southern Ontario. Four distinct yet intersecting “ideologies” were discerned as forces shaping social movement participation within this region: an ideology of what activism is; an ideology of activist spaces as (anti)oppressive; an ideology of community relationships; and an ideology of how commitment is experienced or proven. These “activist ideologies” are also traced back to their roots in key ideologies that dominate western society more broadly, demonstrating an application of Althusser’s theory of the ideological state apparatus and how the “trickledown effect” of oppressive relations—even amongst progressives and radicals—may be interrupted or subverted. This theoretical analysis is complemented by a creative analytic theatre script crafted from the original research data. Its purpose is twofold: While offering the reader a more engaging representation of that data in the context of this thesis, “the play” is also designed for use in social movement spaces as a tool to both encourage the sharing of activists’ own burnout experiences and spark deeper, more strategic discussions of longterm social movement sustainability. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am forever indebted to Dr. Lisbeth Berbary for her guidance, patience, and profound inspiration throughout the project, and to Dr. Mark Havitz for the introduction that started it all. Sincerest thanks as well to Susan Gow for support from the far reaches of Independent Studies, where I found my academic feet. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER ONE: MY CALL TO ACTION ~ AN INTRODUCTION ............................................ 8 1.1 Context and Motivation .................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Crisis and Criticism ........................................................................................................ 10 1.3 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................ 11 1.4 Rediscovering Critical Theory ........................................................................................ 12 1.5 The Burning Questions ................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORIES OF STRUGGLE ~ A LITERATURE REVIEW ............................ 14 2.1 Burnout across vocations: An occupational hazard ....................................................... 15 2.2 Activism as vocation: Not just a job ............................................................................... 21 2.3 Enlisting for duty: Negotiating (sub)cultural norms ...................................................... 22 2.4 Battle fatigue: Experiencing burnout in activism ........................................................... 24 2.5 Rallying the troops: Addressing burnout in activism .................................................... 28 CHAPTER THREE: A RADICAL STRATEGY ~ MY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................... 35 3.1 Preparing to Engage ....................................................................................................... 36 3.1.1 Narrative Inquiry: What’s in a Methodology? ............................................. 36 3.1.2 Doing What’s Right: Considering the Ethics ................................................ 37 3.1.3 Calling All Comrades: Sampling & Recruitment .......................................... 38 3.2 Entering the Fray ............................................................................................................ 39 3.2.1 Radical Methods: Life Story Interviews; Auto-Storying ............................. 39 3.2.2 Taking it All In: Transcribing Their Tales .................................................... 39 3.3 Reflecting after Action .................................................................................................... 40 3.3.1 All Bridges, No Borders: Analysis Across Narratives .................................. 40 3.3.2 Art as Activism & Academics: Creative Analytic Practice ........................... 41 CHAPTER FOUR: IDEOLOGIES & INSURRECTIONS ~ NARRATIVE REPRESENTATION ......... 45 4.0 Prologue: The Storm ....................................................................................................... 46 4.0.1 Director’s Comments: The State We’re In ...................................................... 46 4.1 Scene One: Or Hardly Working ...................................................................................... 48 4.1.1 Director’s Comments: An Ideology of Activism ............................................ 53 4.2 Scene Two: Sites Unseen ................................................................................................ 56 4.2.1 Director’s Comments: An Ideology of (Anti)Oppression .............................. 62 4.3 Scene Three: With Colleagues Like These ...................................................................... 65 4.3.1 Director’s Comments: An Ideology of Community ....................................... 71 4.4 Scene Four: Flocking Off ................................................................................................ 74 4.4.1 Director’s Comments: An Ideology of Commitment ..................................... 75 6 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING ........................................... 78 5.1 Theoretical Connections ................................................................................................. 79 5.1.1 The State According to Althusser ................................................................... 80 5.1.2 IS(M)A: An Ideological Social Movement Apparatus? .................................. 82 5.1.3 Burnouts & the Subversion of “The Struggle” ................................................ 85 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 87 APPENDIX A: RECRUITMENT MATERIALS ........................................................................................ 94 A.1 Email Callout .................................................................................................................. 94 A.2 Information Letter .......................................................................................................... 95 A.3 Consent Form for Interview .......................................................................................... 96 A.4 Letter of Appreciation .................................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX B: LIFE STORY INTERVIEW GUIDE .................................................................................. 98 7 “When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? When it all comes down, can you say that you never gave up?” ~ RISE AGAINST, “THE ECO-TERRORIST IN ME” “There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep, and still be counted as warriors. (I make up this strange, angry packet for you, threaded with love.)” ~ ADRIENNE RICH, “SOURCES” 8 CHAPTER 1: MY CALL TO ACTION AN INTRODUCTION “I’m kind of awed by you. I mean, you’ve only been doing this for, what? A year or two?” It was a moment I’ll never forget, that casual breath of validation, unbidden and exhilarating. We were coming out of a particularly draining meeting at an inter-city activist convergence in the early spring. The goal of the gathering was to coordinate a sustained, Ontario-wide campaign of organizing against Enbridge’s Line 9 project: the proposed reversal of a decades-old pipeline not built for the dirty diluted bitumen—or “dilbit”—that the company cavalierly planned to ship through it regardless. Crossing countless watersheds throughout Ontario and Quebec, Line 9 had posed an environmental risk ever since it was first installed to transport