The Dynamics of Environmental Campaigns

In: Mobilization: the international quarterly review of social movement research, Volume 7, Issue 1, p. 1-14

Abstract

Environmental movements & their activities are studied from various angles, by different methods, & at different levels. While both detailed studies on single incidents of conflict & broad overviews of movements are available, relatively little work has been done at the intermediate level between these extremes. We argue that it is fruitful to engage at this level by undertaking comparative analysis of environmental campaigns. Such studies could help deal with inconclusive observations & findings on the changes of environmental movements during the last three decades. We hypothesize that indeed environmental activism has changed remarkably. By & large, conflicts are no longer marked by a relatively simple constellation of one challenger facing one target or opponent. Instead, we find a complex web of involved actors reaching from local to international levels. These actors tend to form broad alliances, & to link on different issues. Also, their activities are not restricted to only one arena or strategy but involve all available channels, arenas, & action repertoires to have an impact. Quite often, we observe loose coalitions of groups that act in an implicit division of labor, thereby playing on their respective backgrounds, foci, & experiences. Given the variety of actors, their organizational forms & tactics on the one hand & their different contexts on the other, it is unlikely that a common pattern of conflict will emerge across various issues & geographical areas. This is all the more true when comparing environmental conflicts in the Western & non-Western world. 1 Table, 53 References. Adapted from the source document.