The Rules of Activism provides a comprehensive but succinct analysis of how political and social movements work.
The literature on activism falls into two broad categories. First, detailed histories, memoirs, and other accounts describe the significant people, events, and movements that have transformed American politics. Second, more scholarly studies explore the inner logic and dynamics of activism.
This literature offers countless insights into how people rise to challenge political, economic, and social elites. You could spend a lifetime exploring this literature. But few works provide a comprehensive introduction to the topic, with insights for people of all backgrounds, interests, and goals. That is the purpose of this book.
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Advance Praise
Nonviolent movement building is one of the greatest of 20th-century inventions, a way for the powerless to stand up to the powerful. But we don’t study it systematically—there’s no West Point for activists. That makes a book like this, rich in detail and history, tremendously useful to everyone trying to make change happen.
—Bill McKibben, founder of climate crisis group 350.org and author of The End of Nature
How Has Activism Transformed the U.S.? Consider This Scenario
Play a simple thought experiment.
Imagine the United States without its long traditions of political activism. Ordinary Americans participate in politics. They speak out at public hearings, sign petitions, lobby officeholders, file lawsuits, and vote. But when they get rejected, they have no other options for political action. They do not demonstrate, march, strike, boycott, divest, occupy, or subvert everyday activities to gain a voice in politics.
What would American democracy look like without political activism?