Daniel R.

Stout

Rhetoric of Social Movements

Dr. Charlie Griffin

Position Paper #1

Movements as a change of consciousness

Without theory we can’t analyze things in order to ensure not only our accuracy in

the analysis, but also lack direction in what to study. Sometimes theories that are

currently in use are lacking things that would be needed in order to ensure that the most

holistic approach to an area of study is in place. Tendencies being as they are today

makes it seem as though movement studies is one of those fields. We must reanalyze

what it means to be a study of movements and what maybe is still needed.

Today’s study of movements often neglect ideas of tactical action. Tactical action

is something coined by Michel de Certeau in The Practice of Everyday Life. In this

analysis de Certeau indicates that there is two main types of resistance to the current

system, the first, being strategic action and the second, being tactical action. As could

probably be assumed, strategic action is what we currently think of as being a movement.

Its dialectical in nature, looking for a change in laws and social norms. While these forms

of resistance are important for study, current practices neglect and equally important

aspect of social change that occurs. Tactical action is a form of resistance that has no

plan, it has no specific agent. Tactical action occurs in our everyday life, it is song, it is

discourse, it is things that often go by unnoticed. The main difference between tactical

and strategic action is this, strategic action is often very up front about their goals and

why they want to change. Strategic action seems to outline how things are going to occur,
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they point to predictions like if we do X then Y will occur. These are different in what

tactical action entails as it usually leaves half of the equation out. It might tell you that its

goal is to no longer see the censored internet in China, but it may not tell you how to get

there, or it will be someone hacking into Chinese web systems to allow the bypass of

internet regulations. Now why that might seem strategic, its not for the reason that it

doesn’t identify values as to why it is being done. The person hacking might not say that

its because they value free speech, they might not say its because they just hate China,

they might not even say that its so they get publicity, or that he has a business and wants

to ensure his products get sold to the Chinese market. This lack of identification that is

entailed in tactical action is what allows the system to not see and co-opt the movement

as is so often seen with its appeasement strategies used to kill movements.

Another important stasis point between tactical and strategic action is that tactical

action is done by small groups. Tactical action can be done by one single person or a

small group of people. The key is that the group quickly disbands at the end of the

evening and doesn’t necessarily come back and do the same thing the next day.

This obviously is a hard line to draw in the sand about the difference between

tactical and strategic action, and that’s because they are so often confused in current

literature and our academic field has an obsession with separating out dislike actions of

study so that some other person can study it. Importantly though, both forms of actions

have produced massive change.

We can reconcile this problem easily with a new definition of what entails as a

social movement. I think we should turn to Michael Calvin McGee and the article “Social

Movement”: Phenomenon or Meaning?. In this article McGee makes compelling

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arguments as to why the current conceptions of movements are ones that see movements

as phenomenon. McGee resolves his conflict with the current system by defining

movement as being able to be:

“observing changes in the “ideographic” structures of social norm systems”

This change in social norm systems is what I want of focus on. If we define a movement

as producing observable changes in the “ideographic” structures of the social norm

systems, then we must analyze what movement studies would look at.

To answer what movement studies would look at we turn again to McGee in the

same article. McGee contends that when people use new descriptors to define their

environment that the environment has moved. This means that we must continue to look

at the rhetoric that is being used by the entities to change the social norm systems. This

would include the current analysis of rhetorical approaches of pamphlets, recruitments,

speeches, rallies and the assorted other things that must be looked at when looking at

such a dynamic ecological structure. What else that would be analyzed is the actual

actions that people take. Analysis of what exactly listening to and popularizing certain

music does for the transformation of social norms, or how simple everyday acts can have

radical ramifications rendering the system changed.

Ultimately within McGee’s definition of a movement as I’ve interpreted, it would

allow the study of tactical action. Roland Bleiker in his book Popular Dissent, Human

Agency and Global Politics takes a look at how current movements are using tactical

actions and the scholarly world has all but ignored such measures being used within the

movements. He does use a few different examples.

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The first we will talk about is when Bleiker describes the collapse of the Berlin

Wall. This was a major international event that had ramifications beyond just a local area.

Bleiker contends that it was dissent that caused the German people to destroy the Berlin

wall. Bleiker takes a look at the music that was being played in the area and how it had

drastic effects on peoples attitudes towards the current systems and that the simple act of

listening to music was part of a larger movement of the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

Bleiker also looks at another example in which groups of people wanted reusable

milk containers. These people all had different reason for the goal, and the individuals

never identified with others the reason for their goals, they kept the reasons to themselves

and simply didn’t buy milk from non-reusable containers. This simple act that could be

accomplished everyday is another form of tactical action and how it created change.

Bleiker contends that because the people didn’t buy certain types of milk that it created a

norm amidst the grocery store that non-reusable containers were no longer acceptable. So

because of such the store stopped carrying the products in question, and as a result it had

effects on the entire milk industry in the country. This just proves that a simple act that

occurs in everyday practices is worthy of study because it created a change in the social

norms that were entailed.

Another form of tactical action that our definition opens up is the individuals who

are helping dissidents and residents inside media repressed societies to gain access to an

open and free internet by doing lots of daily activities. Some people are allowing

themselves to be proxy servers so that the filtering systems in that country can no longer

affect them. Some people are hacking into and ruining the systems that are filtering the

internet in countries. Some people are writing programs to help get around the filtering.
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The point is that there is a plethora of actions occurring within the open internet now

movement that point to things that aren’t official strategies of the organized group and are

just everyday people taking everyday actions that are having drastic effects on the way

that politics operates in the world today.

Ultimately the usefulness of this approach is profound. Not to detract from any of

the work done in the past, the definition of movements and what movements studies

should entail enables the most holistic approach to studying everything that is the

movement. No longer should we confine ourselves to the official and organized groups of

people creating a change in social norms. Too many social norms change too often for it

all to be attributed to official strategic groups looking for change. Only when this holistic

approach is taken towards movement studies will there really be what we are looking for

inside the field, the ability to acquire knowledge that will help us evaluate current

movements actions and their effectiveness with more accuracy than ever before.