Relations of Power Within a Field of Contemporary Activism

Activist Capitals in Network Societies

Dr. Jakob Svensson

HumanIT (www.kau.se/en/humanit) Dept. of Geography Media and Communication (www.kau.se/en/media)

Karlstad University

Introduction In network societies characterized by an infrastructure of social and

media networks enabling organizations at all societal and individual levels relations and connections between people are brought to the fore

The focus is on relations of power in a network society A conception of power as processes that take place

between people Some argue that internet-based organization facilitates

more horizontal and equal distribution of power While acknowledging that the landscape of power is

changing in network societies, networks emphasize a multiplication of connections and connectivity between people - there is no reason not to believe that relations of power are still at play and vital in network societies

– Relations of power within an activist community

Social Media Use

Facebook Twitter Blog Ning

RQ: How did activists position themselves in relation to each other and the community values?

To answer this question, this paper will undertake two analyses

1) Central values of the activist community has to be discerned

2) An analysis of how activists positioned themselves an others in relation to the community values

socialization into community values are important to understanding relations of power within a community

updating based on values of reflexive

connectivity and responsiveness values of location bound community and being

active and involved - proactive rather than reactive

VALUES

Core-Periphery Positions

Who updated/ engaged others - Core Who was updated/ engaged by others - Periphery

POSITIONING

A dialectic between community values and participants agency This dialectic is understood as processes of positioning

By reference to Bourdieu, the activists are regarded as forming a social field in which positions are negotiated through interaction between field specific values, activists habitus and capital

BOURDIEU

Habitus

Animal rights movements the Cinema Tellus Student councils/ nations the Scout Movement built both a sense of a southern suburb community feeling, and knowledge for organizing and mobilizing participation (i.e being proactive)

A kind of luggage giving the activist sense of knowing how to navigate the field as well as organizing practices within the field

A general belief in change – together with the value of being active can be traced this habitus - grounded in student unions and vocal NGOs

Capital

A social relationship, an energy/ resource that exists and produce its effects within the field it is used

Capital use cannot be understood without

reference to the agents position within the field

Participation Capital

Mobilizing Capital Legitimacy Capital Networking Capital

Activist Capitals

the value of being active and engaged made it possible for certain activists to accumulate and use a type of participation capital when positioning themselves in the field while participation was considered important, there were other things that were even more highly esteemed in the community - mobilizing and engaging others.

Legitimacy Capital It is important to consider previous experiences in order to understand why certain come to occupy core positions.

Hence, certain activists entered into the field already with a kind of legitimacy which could be used as a currency when negotiating core positions.

Agents enter the social field with previously acquired capital.

At the same time, accumulated participation and mobilizing capital could be exchanged for this legitimacy capital. In this way the boundaries between participation, mobilization and legitimacy capital are permeable

Networking Capital

legitimacy capital is intertwined with perceived social and networking competence networking is based as much on social as technical skills and political abilities

Knowing how to network, which is interlinked with gaining recognition and sustaining reputation, also becomes a capital resource

This capital is made possible by previous achievements (legitimacy capital), active participation (participation capital) and successful mobilisation of others (mobilization capital), done through through a sense of knowing how (habitus) and being in a position in the field to network

Conclusion

Power within the southern Stockholm activist field - understood in terms of holding a core position - was connected with knowing how to network, to maintain intermediary ties and being in a position to mobilize these intermediary ties

In order to accumulate and exchange these different capitals, and to negotiate core positions, activists needed to relate to the values of community

The value of location bound community was even transformed into a central belief that continued to bind activist together after having lost the battle for the bathhouse.

Activists also needed to be constantly updated in order to accumulate participation and legitimacy capital as well as networking capital in the form of holding intermediary positions between networks. This is the value of connectedness which is interlinked with the value of responsiveness.

Thank you for listening!

jakob.svensson@kau.se