Between Success and Failure: Dwelling with Social Movements in the Hiatus
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Date
2013
Authors
Khasnabish, Alex
Haiven, Max
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This article explores the ways social movement “successes” and “failures” are
conceived of and measured, particularly in relation to research that strives to act
in solidarity with
such
movements
. Reviewing
some of the best examples of
politically
-
engaged
research
, we contend that even these assume normative
categories of “success” and “failure” with respect to both move
ment and research
outcomes.
Drawing on o
ur work in the Radical Imagination Project, a politically
-
e
ngaged
social movement
research project
in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
we
argue that social movements typically dwell not at the poles of the success/failure
binary but in the “hiatus” between “not
-
success” and “not
-
failure.” We contend
that a more dynamic mapping of social movement success an
d failure produces
a
richer and more robust
und
erstanding of social movements, the significance of
their activity, and social change.
This
reconceptualization and remapping of
success and failure also has important implications for the way
researchers
seek
ing to work in solidarity with
social movements can productively
reimagine
their own
measures
of
succes
s and failure
.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Khasnabish, A., & Haiven, M. (2013). Between Success and Failure: Dwelling with Social Movements in the Hiatus. Interface: A Journal for and About Social Movements 5(2): 472-498.