What is your protest movement's personality?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  Does your protest seek legislative reforms through government agencies?

  • A.
    Yes
  • B.
    No
• 2.
  Is your protest unwilling to engage with the state?

  • A.
    Yes
  • B.
    No
• 3.
  Has your protest movement broken away from another movement? This may be a breakaway that occurred in response to the original movement becoming overly formalised and institutionalised.

  • A.
    Yes
  • B.
    No
• 4.
  Is your movement engaged in research? For example, are you exploring problems you wish to address through research methods?

  • A.
    Yes
  • B.
    No

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  The Reformer

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  Reformers pursue their objectives through official or mainstream institutions including parliaments, government agencies, courts and corporations. Effective reformers see their claims incorporated into official policies and ‘watchdog’ the implementation of their proposals. The protests around transport and domestic violence legislation in Armenia are useful examples of effective reformatory movements as they worked within the law to achieve policy and legislative reforms. Ineffective reformers promote and accept minor reforms, alienate their grassroots constituency and identify more with power holders than their movement. For more information check out the Protest Resilience Toolkit by CIVICUS
• 2.
  The Revolutionary

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  While different definitions exist, revolutionaries are generally characterised as lacking the inclination to act within the constraints of legal or pre-established rules; sometimes ignoring conceptions of “civic responsibilities” by using violent or confrontational protest methods. Understanding what “violence” means is complicated as it is contested in the context of violence against public property, private property, and self-defense. Revolutionaries are often forced into this characterisation by the closed nature of civic space in their country of origin or through an unwillingness of a state to engage. For instance, in apartheid South Africa, all actions taken by groups such as the African National Congress and South African Communist Party were revolutionary because the organisations were banned and thus could not pursue their objectives though lawful means. For more information check out the Protest Resilience Toolkit by CIVICUS
• 3.
  The Reinventor

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  Reinvention is often born from social movements becoming overly formalised and institutionalised. Some movements adopt formal structures and move away from their grassroots origins. Members who are dissatisfied with this move often breakaway and attempt to reinvent the movement using innovative and diverse means. Two examples of the tactics used by reinventors are online activism and cultural expression. Because these breakaway movements are often small, they rely on the internet to spread their message and ideas and to organise supporters to conduct protests. The internet is the preferred method of communication because it is less corporately-controlled than mainstream media. Cultural expression encompasses an eclectic range of activist tactics including graffiti, visual and performing arts. Often these are publicised on the internet. For example, Australian activists for migrant rights projected “Boat people” campaigns on the Sydney Opera House, drawing national attention and debate. For more information check out the Protest Resilience Toolkit by CIVICUS
• 4.
  Activist Researcher

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  This is a small category, which generally exists alongside one of the other groups. Activist research is a form of inquiry that involves working with activists to explore problems that they consider important through research methods that they endorse. Researchers and activists collaborate to define problems, design and conduct the research, and interpret and apply findings. While the researcher themselves are certainly activists, the research that they produce is regularly used to underpin conventional campaigns and protests. For instance, the Chilean Student movements worked with policy researchers to produce a policy document that argued against commercialised education systems, and used this document as academic backing for their protests against the government’s tertiary education system. Similarly, the countless pieces of academic work which were sparked by the South African Student Fee protests, if harnessed and publicised correctly could be seen as activist research which assists movements in future. For more information check out the Protest Resilience Toolkit by CIVICUS