Movements & Why They Matter Srilatha Batliwala Scholar Associate, Building Feminist Movements &...
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Transcript of Movements & Why They Matter Srilatha Batliwala Scholar Associate, Building Feminist Movements &...
Movements & Why They Matter
Srilatha BatliwalaScholar Associate, Building Feminist Movements & Organizations (BFEMO) InitiativeAWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development)
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 1
What is a Movement?An organized set of constituents pursuing a common political agenda of change through collective action.
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 2
What is Movement Building? Processes that build collective power by organizing
constituencies of excluded, marginalized, oppressed or invisible people, who build a change agenda and engage in joint actions to access their human rights and entitlements, challenge and change ideologies of inequality, and transform social power relations in their favor…
Reactionary or fundamentalist movements are very similar in process – the difference is they do not subscribe to the full body of human rights (e.g. women’s right to equality, the rights of all sexual identities, or equality based on religion, ethnicity, race, caste, etc.
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The key characteristics of strong movements are therefore:
A membership or constituency base – the individuals or communities most vested in the change
Some degree of formal or informal organization – networks, organizations, member collectives, etc. - are part of the organized core of a movement
A clear political agenda – common analysis, goals, targets for change
Leadership from the constituency at multiple levels – i.e., not entirely dependent on external leadership
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Collective or joint actions in pursuit of common goals – movements are not based on providing services alone (though they may do so, for their members) but on acting for change
Some continuity over time (movements are not a “campaign,” though they may use campaigns as a strategy, nor are they a one-time struggle over a specific issue)
Strategies that combine extra-institutional (e.g. marches, protests) and institutional (advocacy & lobbying) forms – i.e., the strategies manifest visible political struggle.
The key characteristics of strong movements are therefore:
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Characteristics of feminist / women’s movements:
Gendered political goals - they seek a change that privileges women’s interests and that transforms both gender and social power relations – think of an example!
Gendered strategies – that build on women’s own strategies and capacities, and involve women members at every stage of the process – think of an example!
An agenda built from a gendered feminist analysis of the problem or situation they are seeking to change – think of an example!
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Feminist movements haveWomen as the key constituency / critical mass
of the movement’s membershipFeminist values and ideology – e.g., gender
equality, social and economic equality, the full body of human rights, tolerance, inclusion, peace, non-violence, etc. - even if they don’t call themselves “feminist”!
Women’s leadership at all levels – i.e., they do not treat women instrumentally, as good for numbers or “front-line” troops in resistance actions; women movement leaders will have real decision-making and strategic power in the movement
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The AWID Study of women’s movementsMovement Region / Country Movement Region / Country
Czech Mothers Centers East Europe Iranian Women’s Movement
Middle East / Iran
Disabled Women’s Movement
Global Palestinian Women’s Movement
Middle East / Palestine
Dalit Mahila Sanghathan – Dalit Women’s Movement
South Asia / India Piqueteras Latin America / Argentina
Domestic Workers Alliance
North America / United States
One in Nine Campaign Southern Africa / South Africa
GALANG – Poor Lesbian Movement
Southeast Asia / Philippines
Roma Women East & Central Europe
GROOTS Kenya – rural/urban grassroots women’s movement
Africa / Kenya SuWEP Sudan Women’s Peace Movement
Northeast Africa / Sudan
Indigenous Women’s Movement
Central America / Mexico
VAMP/SANGRAM India / South Asia23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 8
What our study highlighted as key elements of effective feminist movement building: Consciousness-raising / awareness-building Organizing and building a strong mass base Clear power analysis and political agenda Spiraling growth through dynamic learning: action-
reflection-action-impact Building new knowledge and knowledge politics Focus on changes at both formal (policy, law, etc.) and
substantive (attitudes, behaviour, norms) levels Experimenting with changing the practice of power
internally and externally23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 9
What our study highlighted as key features of strong women’s movements: Leadership from the primary constituency / “mass bas
e” Autonomous (not donor-driven or aligned to a political
party or patronage group) Clear and transparent hierarchies of leadership,
communication and decision-making Clear political agendas, change goals, and targets Ebbs and flows
– ebb times are when internal organization activities increase (leadership and internal capacity building, services for members, reflection and analysis);
– flows are when advocacy and movement action increase
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 10
Why Movements Matter: they can create change from individual to systemic levels, and in
both formal and informal domains!
Individual
Systemic
Informal Formal
Internalized attitudes, values,
practices
Access to & control over resources
Cultural norms, beliefs, practices
Laws, policies, resource allocations
Community
Courtesy Rao & Kelleher, 2005
Advocacy /
lobbying can
change theseAdvocacy /
lobbying can
change these
Advocacy /
lobbying cannot
change theseAdvocacy /
lobbying cannot
change these
Only move
ments
can ch
ange
these
Only move
ments
can ch
ange
these
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 11
Key Steps in Movement Building
3. Consciousness
Raising / Awareness
Building within the
constituency
6. Mobilizing & Organizing the “Constituency”
7. Identifying Action Priorities &
Strategies
8. Action/s for Change
9.c. Analyzing
the situation
9.a. Dealing with
backlash
1. Perception of Injustice
2. Inspired, determined leadership
10.b. Designing new strategies
9.d. Expanding participation /
base
9.b. Absorbing
gains
5. Building a political agenda
10.a. Refining the political agenda
4. Creating Space
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011
Our study showed that movements have different stages of growth & levels of maturity
Stage One: Movements in the Making
Stage 2: Emerging Movements
Stage 3: Mature Movements
Stage 4: Movements that
are dying
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 13
Factors constraining movement building / emergence:
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 14
Factors constraining movement building / emergence:
Lack of or weak base - movements built from above, by external agencies / leaders, with low attention to mobilizing / organizing the constituency
Resource constraints cannot meet members’ demands for services or training,
especially at the initial movement-building phase Lack of donor support for hard-to-measure movement-
building work Donor interference or control of organization’s activities
Co-option / repression – “hyper-alignment” with other actors (e.g., trade unions or political parties)
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 15
Overarching Insights from the AWID study:
Movements were launched by women not essentially around their identity as women, but as women of particular identities, categories and circumstances
Constituents / members have become primary agents of change; leadership emerges from the constituency
Hierarchical but deeply democratic governance structures – struggles to ensure accountability, representation, voice
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Some movements successfully used mainstream development interventions and services for transformative purposes (e.g. self-help groups, home-based care, or managing subsidies) without losing their movement character
Strong focus on leadership building, and especially on new (not necessarily “young”) leadership.
Fear of the “feminist” label – some overtly claim feminist character, others avoid this identity for complex reasons…
Overarching Insights from the AWID study:
23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 17
Redefining what is radical - these movements show that the “radical” nature of political agendas and activism must be gauged against socio-political context, not judged by arbitrary / absolute ideological standards.
Women’s movements are strong and thriving locally, even if they are not as visible nationally or globally!
Overarching Insights from the AWID study:
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Multigenerational Issues in Movement Building These are generally not given conscious attention
in movement building In many parts of the world, constituency-based
leadership tends to come from older women, whose stage in their life cycle allows them to devote more time to the movement
Some movements, however, have been built and led by younger women – especially on issues not readily espoused by older women (LGBT movements, sex workers, anti-dictatorship / pro-democracy movements, etc.)
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Why does multi-generationality matter in movements?• As we saw, movements need deep and diverse layers of
leadership to grow, survive, and make an impact – this leadership depth must include young leaders
• Mobilizing young people around the movement’s agenda and actions cannot be done as well without young leaders
• Young leaders help to strengthen and hold movements accountable in unique ways – challenging, for instance, their politics around sexuality, or pushing for higher-risk actions, or advancing more innovative strategies
• Movements with longer-term agendas (e.g. transforming gender relations, environmental policies, or economic structures) cannot hope to survive without building multi-generational leadership and membership!
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Questions / Points to Ponder Do you agree with the definition of movement and
movement building? What are the implications of this definition for your work?
Do you agree that movements can bring sustained change in ways that services, or professionalized advocacy / lobbying cannot? If not, why? Can you think of examples that illustrate your viewpoint or that of this presentation?
How does your work or your organization’s work fit with this framework of movements and movement-building? What would you change to make it more effective as movement-building work?
Why is the term “movement” so attractive and so loosely used? Why does everyone want to claim to be / or have a “movement” whether this is the case or not?
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