John porter lecture: waves of protest--direct action, deliberation, and diffusion

Area of Science:

• Social Movements
• Political Science
• Sociology

Background:

• The 1999 WTO Seattle protests saw the emergence of direct action tactics.
• The diffusion of these tactics to other cities was limited by social and political factors.
• A model of protest diffusion emphasizes the role of egalitarian and reflexive deliberation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the "Direct Action, Deliberation and Diffusion" model to the Idle No More mobilizations.
• To analyze the factors influencing the spread of protest tactics in contemporary social movements.
• To understand the implications of this diffusion model for activist networks.

Main Methods:

• Case study analysis of the Seattle WTO protests and their aftermath.
• Examination of activist networks in Toronto and New York City following the Seattle protests.
• Application of the theoretical framework to the Idle No More movement.

Main Results:

• Deliberation among diverse activists was constrained by political field structures, inequalities, and organizational dynamics.
• These constraints limited the diffusion of direct action tactics from Seattle.
• The limited diffusion potentially slowed the global justice movement's momentum.

Conclusions:

• The model of protest tactic diffusion provides a framework for understanding contemporary social movements.
• Social and political contexts significantly impact the spread and adaptation of activist strategies.
• Further research can explore the application of this model to other global justice movements.