political participation
what is political participation?
activity by private citizens designed to influnence government decision-making
voluntary activity taken with intent to influence who governs, or the actions of those who govern
conventional political participation
lawful expected
voting
civic engagment, being informed, discussing poltiics
signing a peititon
volunterring wiht an org or joining a poltically enagged group
attending demontrations
giving money
running for potlicail office
unconventional poltiical pariticipation
disruptive
direct action
divil disobidence
strikes
sit-ins, die-ins, walk-outs
occupying space
some protests and demonstrations
disruptive creative action
may also include violence
poltical activism
macro:
regime type
institutions of democracy
protections of civil lliberities
mezzo:
civil society
mobolizing agencies
churches, poltiical parties, clubs, unions, associations, media
micro:
resources (times skills)
motivation (issue salience, poltiical attitude)
social movements and social change
coordinated, goal oriented collective action involving political outside of established institutions
organized effort to change laws, polices, or practices by people who do not have the power to effect change through conventional channels
use a mix of conventional and unconventional political participation
when do social movements arise
when political opportunity structure shifts, making success more possible or opening avenues for action
when mobilizing organizations are strong
when framing resonates with the public
framing the ways in which a social problem is define by presented to, and resonates with members of a social movement and society more broadly
unconventional collective political action
non-violent collective action
petitions
demonstrations, protests, performances
marches boycotts
resistance movement
civil disobedience
political violence
riots
guerilla wars/ insurgency
terrorism and hate crimes
war crimes
conditions that lead to political violence
political opportunity structures: structures and characteristics of a political system that are open or closed to movement success
democracies experience less political violence than non democracies
violence is more common when political community is socially constructed along lines of identity, and when polarization is high
asymmetric conflicts are most likely to produce terrorism
repression can produce violent response
no particular ideologies are more prone to use of violence (all ideologues have spawned groups using political violence
effects on political violence on movements
many social movements shift from non-violent to violent tactics and back again part of broader contentious politics
violence reduces a movement perceived legitimacy, and therefore its support
short term movement goals may benefit, such as gaining attention, recruiting committed activists, news coverage but long term goals are undermined protecting from escalaitng violence, achieving poltical concession, growing the movement
easter rebellion 1916
six days of Irish armed insurrection against British rule
for years the fighting continued between police sent as reinforcements black and tans and Irish republicans assassinations and reprisals
partition, recession, discriminaiton (20s-50s)
irish free state created 1922. northern irleland stays in the uk
irish republican army fighting a guerilla war against british
1930s recession is very hard on irish catholics in n. ireland, hunger riots
deep separation between protestant and catholic communities in Northern Ireland. Catholics face poverty and discrimination, separate schools, employment and housing discrimination. Irish flag is illegal
irish civil rights movements, 1960s
irish catholics take inspiration from american civil right movement
marches, hunger strikes, public demonstrations
marches made illegal, met with violence
political violence increases
an armed wing of irish nationalists begin bombing campign
paramilitary loyalists emerge, killing many catholic civilians
the troibles have begun. irish republican army become orgamized and armed, protestant resisitance arms itself, street warfare
1970s, peak of violence
irish nationalist movement splits between armed wing and nonviolent movement
1972 alone ira carried out about 1300 bombing also gun attacks 100 members of security forces were killed
in total of 40 years about 3.5 thousand people died
1994 belfast (good friday) agreements
created a northern ireland assembly
guareanteed protestant and catholic participation in the assembly
changes to policing, and release of IRA prisioners
IRA decommissioning of weapons, commits to peace
investigation into police and monitoring of impartality
ensuring of human right protections
social movements
legislation and policy change
autonomy or independent sovereignty
new goernemnt or leader in power
revolution
revoultion
public seizure of the state in order to overturn the existing government and regime
unlike a military coup, revolutions involve the public
revolutions are more than changes in leadership
revolutions remake society
do revoltuions require violence?
most 20th century social science definitions of revoltion emphasize violent transformation of the state and class structure
hunington: a rapid fundamental and violent domestic shange in the dominant values and myths of a sociaity in its poltical insitutions social stricutre leadership government activites and policies
major histroic revolution: america 1776, french 1789, reussia 1917, chinese 1949
non violent revoltuion?
blurring of social movements, reform and revolution in largely non-violent revoltuions of late 20th century and 21st
india 1947, iran 1977, philippines 1986, eastern europe 1989, south africa 1992, servia 2000, lebanon 2005, tunisia 2011
arab spring revolutions
a serious of uprisings against authoritarian governments across arab countries, beginning with tunisia in 2011
spread to libya, egypt, yemen, syria, and bahrain
tunisia, jasmine rovolution
protest wrutpted after self immolation of street vendor
built on decades of labor and opposition movement, corruption, lack of poltical freedom food prices
tactics, civil diosbedence, demostrations, genral strikes
300-320 libtans lost their lives
led ot transitions towards democracy
libya, revolution 2011
anti-goverment rallies sparked by arrest of human rights lawyer, escalated to widespread rebellion
riots, govenemnt armed response
froces opposing the governemnt launched an offensive, backed by NATO
led to civil war, ongoing insurgency and persisitent war
10-20,000 libyans lost their lives
hong kong
ceded to the british in 1842
anti communisits fled to hong kong when Mao wins civil war
pro and anti communist fighting in hong kong in 1960s
1997 british reutned control of hong kong to mainland china
2003 article 23 protests .5 mil march
2014 umbrella protests, 79 day sit in
2019 antiextradition protests, 1/3 of population took to the streets
patriots only hong kong
national security law 2020 has supressed all critical coices and orgamizing
electoral changes in 2021 enrusing onlt candidiates that are loyal to the chinese communist part can hold office
increased soical control throguh education policy, curriculum recisions emphasize patriotic values
increasing numbers of hong kongers have left the city, estimates of 500,000 have emigrated since 2011 (many to uk, also canada and australia)
umbrella movement, towards revoltuion?
“ i accept revoltiion and bloodshed revolution is a war an no war is without violence… is our violence can bring about positive changes i am willing to be involved
the umbrella movement was to peaceful,. having just a bunch of people sitting there didnt pose any threat to the goervnmern, chan said we lost the battle completely now we have learned from our mistakes
increasing gureilla tactics in 2019-2020
2020 national security law