Recruitment and disengagement: two sides of the same coin or different phenomena?

Abstract

We investigate the disengagement of four former activists of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra—MST) in Brazil. The MST is the largest Brazilian social movement and has mobilized activists for over 30 years. The trajectories of recruitment, participation and disengagement of its activists serve as emblematic cases for the study of disengagement in social movements in general. This research contributes to the understanding of the activists’ disengagement from a social movement, a phenomenon that has been little studied. It sheds new light on the study of disengagement in two ways. First, some characteristics of the MST, in particular that many activists live in tight-knit communities, children participation and the activists’ long-lasting participation, open up new possibilities for the analysis of factors that influence disengagement pointed out in previous studies. In addition, the analysis of former activists’ whole trajectories of recruitment-participation-disengagement allows us show that considering disengagement as the analogous process as recruitment cannot explain all of its aspects. Given that the reasons that make someone leave a movement are, not always, the same that made someone join it. A multiple-case study design was used. The semi-structured interviews encompassing the engagement trajectories of the former activists served very well to the purpose of evidencing the multi-level character of the disengagement decision-making. Our analysis reveals how the social context, the movement and the activists’ personal characteristics in conjunction play a pivotal role.

Disengaging from political activism: A critical review of the literature

“…The analysis of most studies in the literature rests on the assumption that political engagement is voluntary and the choice of adult individuals. Yet, this is not always true (especially in the Global South), as some empirical studies demonstrate (Nascimento et al, 2021;Viterna, 2006). Are the disengagement pathways in these cases dissimilar?…”

“…Both the formation and maintenance of collective identities require continuous identity work throughout the different stages of a movement to accomplish the alignment of personal and collective identities (Snow and McAdam, 2000). If this alignment weakens, then disengagement is a potential outcome (Nascimento et al, 2021). The process of collective identity construction is very complex since the multiple and intersecting identities (in terms of class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, citizenship status, etc.)…”

“…In addition, organizations and movements evolve constantly over time, facing diverse challenges. However, significant shifts in their identities, strategies and organizational culture may give rise to severe internal friction (Nascimento et al, 2021;Owen, 2019;Staggenborg, 1988). Apart from internal factors, external factors (e.g.…”

Toward an integrated analysis of social movements and new religious movements research

“…Disengagement or demobilization is one of the understudied areas in social movement research, presumably due to the methodological limitation of reaching out to ex‐activists (Fillieule, 2014). Some examine disengagement as one type of movement behavior (Corrigall‐Brown, 2011), while others investigate individuals' paths or trajectories to disengagement in a process model (Fillieule, 2014; Klandermans, 1997; Nascimento, Klandermans, & de Theije, 2021; White, 2010). For instance, Nascimento et al.…”

“…For instance, Nascimento et al. (2021) examined the process through which long‐term participants of the Landless Rural Workers Movement in Brazil eventually left the movement. They found that disengagement was an outcome of multiple reasons related to one's personal and social characteristics, creating different paths for individual disaffiliation.…”