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Resistance to collective victimization and oppression
Johanna Ray Vollhardt1, Mukadder Okuyan1, Helin Ünal1
1Department of Psychology, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|May 11, 2020
Summary
Social psychology must broaden its view of resistance beyond collective action. This review highlights diverse strategies, including individual and psychological resistance, and examines the dynamic nature of violent and non-violent choices in oppressive contexts.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Sociology
- Political Science
Background:
- Resistance research predominantly focuses on collective, overt actions.
- Victims of collective violence and oppression utilize a wider spectrum of resistance strategies.
- Existing frameworks often overlook individual, covert, and psychological forms of resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To expand the conceptualization of resistance within social psychology.
- To differentiate various dimensions of resistance to collective victimization.
- To analyze the strategic and contextual nature of violent versus non-violent resistance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of social psychological research on resistance.
- Theoretical analysis of resistance strategies in contexts of collective victimization.
- Examination of existing research on collective resistance in repressive environments.
Main Results:
- Resistance encompasses a broad range of strategies beyond collective action, including individual, covert, and psychological forms.
- Non-violent and violent resistance are not fixed principles but dynamic, strategic choices influenced by context.
- Specific violent and repressive contexts significantly shape the nature of collective resistance.
Conclusions:
- Social psychology needs to incorporate a more comprehensive understanding of resistance strategies.
- Theorizing resistance requires considering the interplay between context and strategic choices.
- Further research is needed on collective resistance within violent and repressive settings.
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