Alternative pathways to activism: Intersections of social and personal pasts in the narratives of women’s rights activists.

Abstract

We examined pathways to activism, focusing on the narratives of women's rights activists who grew up in different places and times, using interview transcripts from the Global Feminisms Project archive. The findings reveal that experiencing a socially or personally disruptive event (e.g., a war or loss of a daughter due to domestic violence, respectively) facilitated activism at different stages of life in unique ways; and there were specific catalysts for activism for each stage. Those who grew up under oppressive regimes thought activism was the most "natural" response to what was going on sociopolitically; for them, feelings of freedom and strength were the catalyst. Those who experienced a disruptive event in their adolescence viewed their activism as intertwined with their personal identity; for them, love, support and togetherness were the catalyst. Finally, those who experienced disruption in their adulthood viewed their activism not as identity, but simply as action. They made sense of these actions by tracing the continuity in their lives; and for them, small political acts and accomplishments were the catalyst. The relationship between politicized identity and personal identity, as well as the bidirectional relationship between activist involvement and politicized identity is discussed in light of these findings.

Kadınların Toplumsal Cinsiyetçiliğe Tepkileri: Meşrulaştırma, Kendini Suskunlaştırma, Yüzleşme ve Kolektif Hareket

“…A woman who justifies the gender system may internalize self-silencing for a while, but then she may confront to sexism because of some social experiences. She may move toward feminist ideology and join collective action (Downing & Roush, 1985;Savaş & Stewart, 2019).…”

Feminist Approaches to Gender Equity in Perú: The Roles of Conflict, Militancy, and Pluralism in Feminist Activism

“…A small but growing literature since that time has begun to apply this theorization to the development of women's liberation in the context of gendered inequity elsewhere (Afghanistan, Nicaragua; Brodsky et al, 2012;Dutt and Grabe, 2014;Grabe et al, 2014). Still others have examined women's work within social movements by examining pathways to activism or how women become committed to social change (McGuire et al, 2010;Dutt and Grabe, 2014;Savaş and Stewart, 2019). The aim in the current study is to build on this literature by investigating the key components of activism among women in Perú who were working to transform their structural circumstances by exerting their right to politically participate as active decision-makers contributing to the creation and sustainability of an equitable society.…”

Some ways of doing narrative research.

“…Further, some researchers might use thematic analysis to focus their attention on certain aspects of personal narrative accounts. For example, Savas ¸ and Stewart (2019) used Braun and Clarke's (2006) guide to thematic analysis to code a selection of narrative accounts by women activists from the Global Feminisms Project archive. They were interested in what factors contributed to the women following an activist life pathway.…”