Tag: Rosa Parks
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Occupy: A Name Fixed to a Flashpoint
From my article in The Sociological Quarterly’s new special issue on Occupy Wall Street: Public Performance and Backstage We know that Rosa Parks was not merely tired when she refused to give up her bus seat. She was acting with agency, and the appearance of spontaneity was part of an intentional performance designed for strategic…
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“Spontaneity” and social change | reflections on Gramsci pt.1
I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of hegemony, and reading Antonio Gramsci. I’ll be posting a few reflections as I go. Years ago, I remember growing wary of tendencies (within activist groups I was part of) to exaggerate and glorify supposedly “spontaneous” elements of activism and protest. Some group members often recounted protests…
Jonathan Matthew Smucker 