Movements & Why They Matter

1. Movements & Why They Matter Srilatha Batliwala Scholar Associate, Building Feminist Movements & Organizations (BFEMO) Initiative AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development) SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

2. What is a Movement? An organized set of constituents pursuing a common political agenda of change through collective action. SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

3. What is MovementBuilding? • Processes that build collective power by organizing constituencies of excluded, marginalized, oppressed or invisible people, who build a change agenda and engage in joint actions to accesstheir human rights and entitlements, challenge and change ideologies of inequality, and transform social power relations in their favor… • Reactionary or fundamentalist movements are very similar in process – the difference is they do not subscribe to the full body of human rights (e.g. women’s right to equality, the rights of all sexual identities, or equality based on religion, ethnicity, race, caste, etc. SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

4. The key characteristics of strong movements are therefore: • A membership or constituency base – the individuals or communities most vested in the change • Some degree of formal or informal organization – networks, organizations, member collectives, etc. - are part of the organized core of a movement • A clear political agenda – common analysis, goals, targets for change • Leadership from the constituency at multiple levels – i.e., not entirely dependent on external leadership SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

5. The key characteristics of strong movements are therefore: • Collective or joint actions in pursuit of common goals – movements are not based on providing services alone (though they may do so, for their members) but on acting for change • Some continuity over time (movements are not a “campaign,” though they may use campaigns as a strategy, nor are they a one-time struggle over a specific issue) • Strategies that combine extra-institutional (e.g. marches, protests) and institutional (advocacy & lobbying) forms – i.e., the strategies manifest visible political struggle. SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

6. Characteristics of feminist / women’s movements: • Gendered political goals - they seek a change that privileges women’s interests and that transforms both gender and social power relations – think of an example! • Gendered strategies – that build on women’s own strategies and capacities, and involve women members at every stage of the process – think of an example! • An agenda built from a gendered feminist analysis of the problem or situation they are seeking to change – think of an example! SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

7. Feminist movements have • Women as the key constituency / critical mass of the movement’s membership • Feminist values and ideology – e.g., gender equality, social and economic equality, the full body of human rights, tolerance, inclusion, peace, non-violence, etc. - even if they don’t call themselves “feminist”! • Women’s leadership at all levels – i.e., they do not treat women instrumentally, as good for numbers or “front-line” troops in resistance actions; women movement leaders will have real decision-making and strategic power in the movement SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

8. The AWID Study of women’s movements SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

9. What our study highlighted as key elements of effective feminist movement building: • Consciousness-raising / awareness-building • Organizing and building a strong mass base • Clear power analysis and political agenda • Spiraling growth through dynamic learning: action-reflection-action-impact • Building new knowledge and knowledge politics • Focus on changes at both formal (policy, law, etc.) and substantive (attitudes, behaviour, norms) levels • Experimenting with changing the practice of power internally and externally SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

10. What our study highlighted as key features of strong women’s movements: • Leadership from the primary constituency / “mass base” • Autonomous (not donor-driven or aligned to a political party or patronage group) • Clear and transparent hierarchies of leadership, communication and decision-making • Clear political agendas, change goals, and targets • Ebbs and flows • ebb times are when internal organization activities increase (leadership and internal capacity building, services for members, reflection and analysis); • flows are when advocacy and movement action increase SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

11. Why Movements Matter: they can create change from individual to systemic levels, and in both formal and informal domains! Only movements can change these Advocacy / lobbying can change these Individual Internalized attitudes, values, practices Access to & control over resources Informal Community Formal Advocacy / lobbying cannot change these Movements can also change these Cultural norms, beliefs, practices Laws, policies, resource allocations Systemic SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 Courtesy Rao & Kelleher, 2005

12. Key Steps in Movement Building 8. Action/s for Change 7. Identifying Action Priorities & Strategies 6. Mobilizing & Organizing the “Constituency” 9.b. Absorbing gains 9.a. Dealing with backlash 9.c. Analyzing the situation 9.d. Expanding participation / base 4. Creating Space 3. Consciousness Raising / Awareness Building within the constituency 5. Building a political agenda 2. Inspired, determined leadership 10.a. Refining the political agenda 1. Perception of Injustice 10.b. Designing new strategies SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

13. Our study showed that movements have different stages of growth & levels of maturity Stage 3: Mature Movements Stage 2: Emerging Movements Stage 4: Movements that are dying Stage One: Movements in the Making SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

14. Factors constraining movement building / emergence: • NGO-ization / narrow issue- or service- focus / lack of broader political analysis.   “non-profit organizations ….. resisted a deep analysis of the political economic system that they were fighting to change, ….. [and were] narrowly focused on issue-specific campaigns, rarely making connections with one another across communities and issue areas.” SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

15. Factors constraining movement building / emergence: • Lack of or weak base - movements built from above, by external agencies / leaders, with low attention to mobilizing / organizing the constituency • Resource constraints • cannot meet members’ demands for services or training, especially at the initial movement-building phase • Lack of donor support for hard-to-measure movement-building work • Donor interference or control of organization’s activities • Co-option / repression – “hyper-alignment” with other actors (e.g., trade unions or political parties) SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

16. Overarching Insights from the AWID study: • Movements were launched by women not essentially around their identity as women, but as women of particular identities, categories and circumstances • Constituents / members have become primary agents of change; leadership emerges from the constituency • Hierarchical but deeply democratic governance structures – struggles to ensure accountability, representation, voice SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

17. Overarching Insights from the AWID study: • Some movements successfully used mainstream development interventions and services for transformative purposes (e.g. self-help groups, home-based care, or managing subsidies) without losing their movement character • Strong focus on leadership building, and especially on new (not necessarily “young”) leadership. • Fear of the “feminist” label – some overtly claim feminist character, others avoid this identity for complex reasons… SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

18. Overarching Insights from the AWID study: • Redefining what is radical - these movements show that the “radical” nature of political agendas and activism must be gauged against socio-political context, not judged by arbitrary / absolute ideological standards. • Women’s movements are strong and thriving locally, even if they are not as visible nationally or globally! SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

19. Multigenerational Issues in Movement Building • These are generally not given conscious attention in movement building • In many parts of the world, constituency-based leadership tends to come from older women, whose stage in their life cycle allows them to devote more time to the movement • Some movements, however, have been built and led by younger women – especially on issues not readily espoused by older women (LGBT movements, sex workers, anti-dictatorship / pro-democracy movements, etc.) SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

20. Why does multi-generationality matter in movements? • As we saw, movements need deep and diverse layers of leadership to grow, survive, and make an impact – this leadership depth must include young leaders • Mobilizing young people around the movement’s agenda and actions cannot be done as well without young leaders • Young leaders help to strengthen and hold movements accountable in unique ways – challenging, for instance, their politics around sexuality, or pushing for higher-risk actions, or advancing more innovative strategies • Movements with longer-term agendas (e.g. transforming gender relations, environmental policies, or economic structures) cannot hope to survive without building multi-generational leadership and membership! SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

21. Questions / Points to Ponder • Do you agree with the definition of movement and movement building? What are the implications of this definition for your work? • Do you agree that movements can bring sustained change in ways that services, or professionalized advocacy / lobbying cannot? If not, why? Can you think of examples that illustrate your viewpoint or that of this presentation? • How does your work or your organization’s work fit with this framework of movements and movement-building? What would you change to make it more effective as movement-building work? • Why is the term “movement” so attractive and so loosely used? Why does everyone want to claim to be / or have a “movement” whether this is the case or not? SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011