American Antifa by Vysotsky Stanislav;

Author:Vysotsky, Stanislav; [Vysotsky, Stanislav;]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Culture and social movements

Culture is an especially varied concept in the social sciences ranging from the material objects to the non-material norms and values of a society. The concept is similarly applied to the study of social movements (Hart 1996; Jasper 2017; Johnston 2009; McAdam 1994; R. H. Williams 2007). One of the foremost avenues for the study of culture has been the extensive work on the concept of framing, which analyzes the processes of meaning-making and messaging by social movements (Benford and Snow 2000; Gamson 2002). Hank Johnston (2009) classifies the breadth of research into the intersections of social movements and culture into three categories: performances, artifacts, and ideations. Performances consist of the activity of social movements as actions and interactions of social movement participants and the movements more broadly. Artifacts are the material products of social movement activity such as music or texts. Finally, ideation represents the beliefs of social movement members, often reflected in movement ideology. Rhys Williams (2007) widens the context of culture to encompass the “cultural environment” in which social movements operate that set the “boundedness,” or limitations of appropriate social movement cultural activity, and “resonance,” or the degree of acceptance of the cultural elements of social movement activity.

Social movement culture frequently occurs in distinct spaces. Frequently conceived as “free” spaces, social movement cultures are viewed as locations where participants can experiment with new social forms and facilitate movement mobilization (Polletta 1999). Darcy Leach and Sebastian Haunss (2009) implicitly articulate an intersection between the cultural study of social movements and subculture studies in their conception of social movement scenes.1 The scene consists of “a network of people who share a common identity and a common set of subcultural or countercultural beliefs, values, norms, and convictions as well as a network of physical spaces where members of that group are known to congregate” (Leach and Haunss 2009, 259, emphasis in original). The degree of linkage between cultural practice and movement activity distinguishes types of scenes. Social movement scenes represent a tight connection between subculture and movement activity and identity. Countercultural scenes are politicized insofar as they seek to transform the dominant culture, and subcultural scenes may be politicized or simply expressions of lifestyle. Social movement scenes are defined by three distinct characteristics: a unique culture, flexible boundaries, and networks of people as well as spaces. The functions of a scene for social movements include the facilitation of mobilization, the development of identity and lifestyle practices, and the maintenance of movement longevity. The scene is manifested in cultural artifacts, individual practices, events, and distinct spaces ranging from homes to community institutions to neighborhoods. The delineation of scene spaces is marked by distinct symbolic and stylistic elements (Creasap 2012; Leach and Haunss 2009). The scene, therefore, serves as a means of incorporating a variety of beliefs and cultural practices into a cohesive movement.

The culture of militant antifascism discussed in this chapter presents some affinity with the scene concept, but does not align entirely. Antifascism is discussed as an

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