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How Social Change Happens

PAYAL PAREKH, Ph.D.

Campaigns, Mobilisation & Social Change Strategist

(& former climate scientist)

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STAND UP IF:

You identify as a women & have ever voted
Your (official) work day is < 9 hrs.
You have ever used contraception
If you have attended a same-sex wedding
Your workweek is 5 days or less

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All these rights were won through political organising, mass protest and civil disobedience.

When we realise that we have agency & work together, we make the impossible possible

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TRANSFORMING POWER

Shifting from “Power-over” to:

power-with-others - take action collectively to influence based on solidarity and cooperation.

power-from-within - having agency to take action based on conviction & intention

Based on Theatre of the Oppressed, A. Boal

All of us cooperate & can remove it at any time (Piven & Cloward)

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Pillars of Support

Otpor, Fall of Milosevic,

CANVAS

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COOKBOOK for CHANGE

There isn’t a set recipe, but there are some ingredients that are always needed.

Harness Collective

People Power

Escalate

Change the Frame

Based on numerous sources, including

This is an Uprising, Engler & Engler

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Change the frame

Commun-

icating through values

Summer days > 30 C are no longer the exception

Protecting earth for our children

Connect to people’s reality & concerns

India’s economic growth will slow

Use real examples metaphor

Energy Efficiency - avoiding wasteful-

ness

What do people care about?

Change the Zeitgeist - create cultural conditions for change through discourse

Identify your audience

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Spectrum of Allies

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Communication

Tips

Appeal to values of your audience
Be creative!
Tell stories
Use visuals
Use analogies

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Harnessing Collective Action & People Power

Organising

Low barrier to join

Leaderfull

Culture & strategy common

Skill shares & trainings

Autonomy w/in shared identity, Ex: XR

Going to people, meet them where they are at

Demon-

strate agency

Provide structure

Ex: sign petition, wear a badge

Ex: Impact to farmers ---> what they can advocate

Make it fun!!!

Sources: Momentum Theory, Marshall Ganz, Rules for Radicals, S. Alinsky

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Ladder of Engagement

Low ---------------------------> High

sign Petition, wear button, make a donation, write letter, go to rally, canvassing, organise a rally, civil disobedience

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Nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns.

It takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.

From Why Civil Resistance Works, The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan (2011)

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Escalation

Disruption

ResistanceNon-cooperation

Non-violent

Creative & Changing Tactics

Whirlwind moments / uncontrolled mobilisation

Humor, culture jamming, low risk

Govts have more gunfire!

Collectively weakening pillars of support

Not clear who is in charge, hard to crack down

Hong Kong, Tahrir Square,

Gandhi - Salt march

Civil rights, USA

Otpor - anti-Milosevic

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Strategy for winning: shifting power

Framing the issue

Shifting power

Clear Purpose

Increasing passive & active support

Symbolic Win

Esca-

lation

Polarise!!

Be nimble, flexible & agile to take advantage of fluid situation, unexpected opportunities. A plan set in stone is NOT strategy.