Nurturing Activism: Exploring the role care practices play within the dynamics of socio-political groups

Often what comes to mind when we read or hear the word ‘activism,’ are images of protests, placards, mass mobilizations in the streets, blockades, petitions, raised fists, and megaphones. These images convey resistance, moral anger, and messages of change. However, underneath all that is an invisible layer of organizing, strategizing, and planning – the actions of people voluntarily working together, collectively holding a structure that enables them to target key issues for change. It is this ‘invisible layer’ that forms the focus of inquiry of my doctoral research. How these groups voluntarily design their ways of working together and what keeps them together over time. This in turn present a paradox: for activist groups to be most effective at fighting for change externally, they must nurture relational ways of being internally. This paradox introduce an inherent tension – to fight, they must care. 

Care here relates to the ability for these groups to sustain eachother over time in order to achieve their aim. This manifests as the invisible labour of food preparation, conflict resolution, emotional and interpersonal support, and caring for a movement's tired or burnt-out members. These acts are essential to what can be called the care work of sustaining a group, yet are often unacknowledged (Dixon, 2014). 

This interactive conversation will explore the role that practices of care plays within the dynamics of socio-political group, and how we might make interdisciplinary connections to fields such as design, science and technology studies and the social movement research might redefine the way we understand organizations in general. It will present the ongoing doctoral research and invite others to share their own experiences.

Antonio Starnino, MA, PhD candidate, is a facilitator, coach, consultant and designer whose practice focuses on process design and group facilitation, participatory design, organizational development and design, and leadership coaching. He works with individuals, small groups, and larger communities to co-create interventions that facilitate a shift in the areas they want to change, whether that shift is focused on their goals and strategy, process, culture, products or services and organizational structures. With over 15 years of experience across the fields of service design and visual design and organizational consulting, Antonio has served in a variety of private and public sectors such as energy, education, healthcare, mobility and food innovation.

The Brown Bag Lunch Research Series is offered by the Department of Applied Human Sciences. These sessions are opportunities for faculty researchers to discuss an issue, topic or area on which they are working. At each session, there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

Light refreshments will be served. Bring your own lunch. Support environmental sustainability and bring your own mug.