Organizing for Power and Change

Anthropology 483/683

Organizing for Power and Change:

Theory, research, practice

Fall 2010

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:50PM

SM 003

John Burdick

Office: 209 Maxwell Hall

Office phone: 443-3822

Office hours: TuTh 2:00-3:30 or by appointment

Drawing from anthropology, sociology, geography, political science, history, and other disciplines, this course will investigate why, when and how people with less social power move from everyday resistance and quiescence to organized opposition and collective struggle, and once they have made this move, what factors contribute to their success or failure in shifting the balance of power and bringing about social change. This course will equip you with an array of conceptual tools to help you analyze historical and contemporary struggles by the socially subordinatedfor power and change; help you understand the special contribution ethnographic research makes to this analysis; andchallenge you to consider the relationship between academic analysis and practical action.

Books to purchase (at SU bookstore):

James Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance
Marshall Ganz, Why David Sometimes Wins
Rebecca Dolhinow, A Jumble of Needs
Millie Thayer, Making Transnational Feminism

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1)Attendance (10%).

An attendance sheet will be circulated during each class meeting.
Excused absences are for documented illnesses, major out-of-town rites of passage, funerals, and direct participation in SU team events. They are not for anything else.
Grading of attendance:

1-2 unexcused absences...... A

3 unexcused absences...... B

4 unexcused absences...... C

5unexcused absences...... D

6or more unexcused absences...... F

2)Participation (10%)

This is a seminar, not a lecture course. That means the time we spend in the classroom will be devoted to discussing readings, films, experiences, and working through exercises.
You will find that when you participate – rather than just listen -- you come to understand readings and concepts better.
You should take notes in class, because I expect you to incorporate points made in class into your analytical papers.
I will be paying attention to everyone’s level of participation. I expect you to use the classroom to hone your skills in making your ideas, questions and doubts understood. I do not expect you to be brilliant, nor do I expect you to participate constantly; I do expect you to engage regularly and do your best to articulate points, questions, and doubts.

3)Response to “Struggle in the Fields”

On Thursday, September 2 we will watch a 55-minute documentary about the United Farm Workers, entitled “Struggle in the Fields”. At the start of class I will hand out a sheet with a set of brief questions; after the film we will take 10-15 minutes to brainstorm possible answers to them.
Then, as homework, you will write 2 pages in which you seek to answer the questions in more detail. This response is due by Sunday night (September 5th) at 9 pm, sent to me as an e-mail attachment.
This assignment is intended to give me a preliminary sense of your style of thinking, your general level of comprehension, and what you already know and understand.
This response paper is not graded, but it is required.Failure to send it to me will result in one full grade deduction from your overall participation grade. . . so be sure to send it!

4)Six (6) analytic papers on segment topics

During each course segment, I will pass out one or more questions designed to get you to think synthetically about the material of that segment. The question sheet will specify how many times I expect you to reference readings, films, and discussion in the paper.
Choose one question from the list, and answer it.
Each paper must be 1400-1800 words (you must word-count it)
Papers must be e-mailed to me by 9 pm on the following days:

Sunday, Sept 19………………………………………....,…………………...... ….5%

Sunday, Oct 3……………………………………...…………………………...…10%

Sunday, Oct 10…………………………………………….……….……..,…..…..5%

Wednesday, Oct 27…….………………………………..…...……………..…....10%

Wednesday, Nov 10………………….………….…..…………..……..……...... 10%

Tuesday, November 23…………………………………………………………..10%

5)Term paper

You have (hypothetically) been recruited by an advocacy group, NGO, United Nations, grassroots group, government, or some other organization to conduct an analysis of a concrete example of activism, collective action, organizing, or social movementsomewhere in the world. The example may be either historical or contemporary.
You must undertake the analysis and deliver it to the organization by December 15, 2010.
By “analysis” I mean you must seek to penetrate beyond a mere description of the movement, and probe the causes, forces and dynamics at work within it. “Analysis” involves addressingone or more questions such as: Why did the movement emerge when it did? Do you regard the movement as “strong” or “fragile”, and if so, why? If it is strong, what accounts for its strength? If it is weak or fragile, what accounts for its weakness? What effects is the movement having, even if they are not stated goals? These are just examples; as you proceed through the course, numerous other analytical questions will suggest themselves to you.
In doing so you must demonstrate a detailed grasp of at least four (4) of the conceptual tools introduced by the course.
You will meet with me to choose the organization that has hypothetically enlisted you and the concrete example you will be focusing on.
8-10 pages for undergraduates, 12-14 pages for graduate students

You may structure the paper in one of three(3) ways:

A)Primary material-heavy

To take this approach, the example must have generated a reasonably rich set of primary non-academic materials. By this I mean materials such as newspaper and magazine articles, newscasts, blogs, organizational web-sites, published interviews with key players, and so on. (The Tea Party movement is a good example).

In analyzing this material, you must apply at least four (4) of the conceptual tools of the course.
Having generated primary materials by no means implies that the movement has not also generated scholarly analyses; it is just that you will be focusing on the former rather than the latter. You may read some scholarly work to help orient you, but most of the material you will analyzing will be of the primary, non-academic sort.
You must be able to locate the following amount of material: for undergraduates, at least 200 pages of published on on-line material; for graduate students, at least 300 pages. This material must be readily accessible via Internet or other means, and clearly cited in your bibliography.

B)Scholarship-heavy

To take this approach, the example must have generated a reasonably rich scholarly literature.By “scholarly literature” I mean articles and books written by individuals who have conducted systematic research and who have applied tools of analysis that go beyond simple description. You will need to look for work in peer-reviewed journals (these can be on-line) and books published by scholarly presses.

For this paper, you may consult some non-academic material in order to enrich your examples, but the actual material you will focusing your discussion on will be academic scholarship

You must be able to locate the following amount of material: for undergraduates, at least 200 pages of scholarly writing; for graduate students, at least 300 pages. This material must be readily accessible and clearly cited in your bibliography.

If you choose this format, you will naturally be led by the categories of analysis used by the scholars you have chosen. However – and this is important – you must use at least four (4) of the conceptual tools suggested by this course. You may use the tools to help organize the paper into themes; to critique the analysis of the scholars you have read; and/or to subject the tools themselves to critique in dialogue with the scholarly work you have read.

C)Mix of A) and B)

In close consultation with me, I am open to working with you to design a paper project that synthesizes the approaches of A) and B).

There are four (4) steps to completing the paper:

a)Meeting with me, no later than November 5…………………………………. required

I will start setting up individual appointments with all of you beginning the second week of September. You need to have selected an example in consultation with me no later than Friday, November 5th. Failure to meet with me will result in the loss of one full grade in the evaluation of your final paper.

b)List of materials to be consulted, due Nov 12………………………………….required

You must send me a list of the materials you plan to consult for your paper no later than Friday, November 12. The list must include at least the amount of material/reading required for the paper, as per the specifications stated above. Failure to send this list to me will result in the loss of one full grade in the evaluation of your final paper.

c)In-class presentation either December 2, 7 or 9……………………………………10%

A 10-minute in-class presentation. We will draw lots to identify which day you will present; we will also discuss content of presentation later in the semester.

d)Final paper due Monday, December 13…………………………..…………...……20%

GENERAL POLICIES

Class courtesy:Please come to class on time. Once class begins, refrain from personal conversations. Please put away all non-course reading materials (e.g. newspapers). Turn off and put away all cell phones and MP3 players. Please avoid premature preparations to leave class.

Laptop policy: Laptop use in class is permitted only to take notes and consult with the course Blackboard site (such as to consult with articles posted on the site). It is not permitted for any other purpose. I circulate frequently around the room; if I discover someone using their laptop to interact on Facebook, browse the Internet, reply to e-mail, or for any other non-course-related purpose, this privilege will be withdrawn.

Plagiarism: I will not tolerate plagiarism or any other forms of cheating. If I find a case of cheating, you will receive an F on the assignment, possibly for the course, and will be reported to the relevant college administrator. I will go through plagiarism issues in class.

Paraphrasing: Avoid using long direct quotations of readings and/or lecture notes. Instead it is better to paraphrase those ideas, that is, to explain the ideas from the readings or the lectures or films using you own words. However, when you paraphrase, you MUST STILL CITE THE SOURCE of the idea. If you fail to cite the source, you are implying that it is your own idea, and that is plagiarism.

Direct quotations: If you use direct quotations, then you must put the quotation within quotation marks and use the correct citation following the quotation. The format to be used for citations will be handed out with the first paper assignment.

For more information on plagiarism and the Syracuse University Compact on Academic Honesty please see

Students with disabilitieswho have registered with the Office of Disability Services should see me about accommodations to your needs.

CLASS MEETINGS

Tuesday, Aug 31

Introduction to course

Thursday, Sept 2

Documentary: “Struggle in the Fields”

Segment 1: Subaltern consciousness and culture

Tuesday, Sept 7: The critique of “false consciousness”

James Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance, 70-135

Thursday, Sept 9: Contradictory consciousness

Carla Freeman, “Designing Women” (on Blackboard)
______, “Resistance and Trickery on the Open Office Floor”(on Blackboard)
Kate Crehan,, “Subaltern Culture”(on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Sept 14: Infrapolitics

James Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance, 136-227

Segment 2: The rise of organized resistance

Thursday, Sept 16: Oppositional identity and consciousness

Sharon Groch, “Free Spaces: Creating Oppositional Consciousness in the Disability Rights Movement”(on Blackboard)
Aldon Morris and Naomi Braine, “Social Movements and Oppositional Consciousness” (on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Sept 21: Political economy

Clip from “Awakenings”
F. Piven and R. Cloward, Poor People’s Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail, 1-40; 181-263 (on Blackboard)

Thursday, Sept 23: Ideological crisis

Clip from “Awakenings”
Christopher Parker, Fighting for Democracy, 10-144 (on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Sept 28: Political opportunity, indigenous resources, cognitive liberation

Clip from “Awakenings”
D. McAdam, Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 36-58; 65-116; 125-142 (on Blackboard)

Segment 3: Applying Theory

Thursday, Sept 30: Analyzing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, part 1

Clip on Montgomery
S. Millner, “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”, 395-463 (on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Oct 5:Analyzing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, part 2

S. Millner, “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”, 465-518 (on Blackboard)
Morris, The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 51-63 (on Blackboard)

Segment 4: Mobilization and leadership

Thursday, Oct 7: Framingand mobilization

Snow and Benford, “Ideology, Frame Resonance and Participant Mobilization”(on Blackboard)
Jesus Ramirez-Valles, “Translocal and gender dimensions of frame alignment: community mobilization and recruitment processes among women community health workers in Mexico”(on Blackboard)
Darren Noy, “When Framing Fails”(on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Oct 12: The construction of new identities

David Snow and Doug McAdam, “Identity Work Processes”(on Blackboard)
Arturo Escobar, Territories of Difference, 200-253 (on Blackboard)

Thursday, Oct 14: Becoming and being an activist

Nancy Naples, “Pathways to Community Work” and “Activist Mothering, Community Caretaking, and Civic Work” (on Blackboard)
Soo Ah Kwon, “Moving from Complaints to Action” (on Blackboard)

Tuesday, Oct 19: Models of leadership

Nepstad and Bob, “When do leaders matter?”(on Blackboard)
Marshall Ganz, “Leading Change”(on Blackboard)

Thursday, Oct 21: The theory of organic intellectuals

James Martin, “Intellectuals”(on Blackboard)
Kate Crehan, “Intellectuals and the Production of Culture”(on Blackboard)
James Cassidy, “Organic Intellectuals and the New Loyalism: Re-Inventing Protestant Working-Class Politics in Northern Ireland”(on Blackboard)

Segment 5: Factors in struggle

Tuesday, Oct 26: Elements of strategic capacity, 1

Reprised clips from “Struggle in the Fields”
Marshall Ganz, Why David Sometimes Wins, part 1

Thursday, Oct 28: Elements of strategic capacity, 2

Marshall Ganz, Why David Sometimes Wins, part 2

Tuesday, Nov 2: Expressive culture and collective action

Broyles-Gonzalez, Yolanda, selection from El TeatroCampesino(on Blackboard)
T.V. Reed, “Singing Civil Rights”, 1-39 (on Blackboard)

Thursday, Nov 4: Waging nonviolent struggle

Clip from documentary “Democratic Promise” (on Saul Alinsky)
Gene Sharp and Paulson, Waging Nonviolent Struggle, 13-65; 359-430(on Blackboard)

Segment 6: NGOs and the grassroots

Tuesday, Nov 9

Clip from “The Forgotten Americans”
Rebecca Dolhinow, A Jumble of Needs, part 1

Thursday, Nov 11

Rebecca Dolhinow, A Jumble of Needs, part 2

Tuesday, Nov 16

Clip from “The Shape of Water”
Millie Thayer, Transnational feminisms, part 1

Thursday, Nov 18

Millie Thayer Transnational feminisms, part 2

Segment 7: Student projects

Tuesday, Nov 23

No class – work on projects

Tuesday, Nov 30

No class – work on projects

Thursday, Dec 2

Student presentations

Tuesday, Dec 7

Student presentations

Thursday, Dec 9

Student presentations