Manufactured vulnerability: eco-activist tactics in Britain

This article examines the development of tactics in radical environmentalist protests against new roads and other environmental issues in Britain during the 1990s. These tactics depend heavily upon the technical creativity of protesters. Their repertoire has been influenced by British traditions of non-violent direct action and by tactics used previously by radical environmentalists in other countries, notably Australia. This form of non-violent direct action is defined here as manufactured vulnerability because of its reliance on technical devices to prolong vulnerability. Much evidence in this case confirms past studies of how new action forms are developed. Evidence also suggests that development of tactics in radical environmental groups is particularly likely to be influenced by latent networks of activists and cross-national diffusion

The impact of exposure to violent music on undergraduate college males\u27 state anger, affective, physiological, and aggressive behavioral action responses

The current study addresses the potential negative impact of exposure to violent lyrical music on West Virginia University undergraduate college males\u27 state anger, affective, physiological and aggressive behavioral action responses. In addition, relationships between the following variables were also examined: (a) level of trait anger and aggressive behavioral action responses, (b) level of trait anger control and aggressive behavioral action responses, (c) level of trait anger expression and aggressive behavioral action responses, (d) overall anger expression index and aggressive behavioral action responses, (e) daily music listening and aggressive behavioral action responses, and (f) prior music exposure and aggressive behavioral action responses. Music preference influence on aggressive behavioral action responses was also explored. Parametric and nonparametric procedures were utilized to test the research questions. The results of the study revealed that college males exposed to violent lyrical music and subsequently provoked report more aggressive behavioral action responses compared to no music (control) participants. No significant difference in number of aggressive behavioral action responses were found between the violent lyrical and non-violent lyrical groups. Exposure to both violent lyrical and non-violent lyrical music did not impact participants level of state anger or positive and negative affective responses. A significant positive correlation between total number of aggressive behavioral action responses and trait anger was indicated for the violent lyrical participants. No significant between group differences in systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) responses were found among the violent lyrical, non-violent lyrical and no music participants. Yet, upon comparing baseline SBP and post-music SBP, within group differences were revealed among both violent lyrical and non-violent lyrical participants. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed as well as suggestions for future research

Strategies for non-violent action to address conflicts: a case of Zimbabwe

This Conceptual paper proposes a framework for non-violent conflict resolution for Zimbabwe. It argues that non-violent action is the only viable option available to address conflict situations. The option has potential to bring better results and success than the violent option. The key source of power of nonviolent action is the local people and the cooperation of different stakeholders. People power and civilian-based resistance help legitimise the change process and the government that emerges out of the process stays in power longer. The assumption is that if people carry out the action long enough and in sufficient numbers it will lead to an oppressive government becoming powerless and receding. The paper argues that nonviolent action is not spontaneous but follows periods of strategic planning. Plans on how to respond to the oppressor’s reaction need to be developed. So too should the non-violent movement know its resource base and how it is going to mobilise people to take part. Non-violent action needs to be accompanied with strong strategic thinking and communication skills. It also requires a lot of community mobilisation and training. Ordinary citizens need to be skilled on how to act non-violently when faced up with a violent reaction to their demands. Key Words: conflict, non-violent action, oppressive government, strategic planning, government

Explaining normative and non-normative collective action tendencies based on the SIMCA, and perceived oppression as a mediator, in the context of the pro-democracy movement in Thailand

The present study aimed to analyze, based on the Social Identity Model of Collective Action predictors of willingness to engage in three forms of collective action 1) normative, 2) non-violent non-normative, and 3) violent non-normative in the context of the pro-democracy movements in Thailand. It additionally analyzed the role of perceived oppression in predicting violent non-normative collective action tendency through feelings of contempt. To our knowledge, those predictors have not been analyzed in a common framework, and not in a non-democratic context. Thai participants over 17 years old N = 35 3 were asked to answer an online questionnaire. After preliminary analyses, a path analysis of the proposed model was conducted. In line with previous research, the findings indicate that 1) the pro-democracy movement identity predicted injustice appraisals and group efficacy 2) group efficacy predicted only normative action tendency, 3) injustice appraisals predicted the feelings of anger and contempt, 4) Anger predicted most strongly normative, and less strongly non-violent non-normative, 5) Contempt only predicted violent non-normative, 6) the pro-democracy movement identity predicted perceived oppression, in turn, predicted contempt and violent non-normative collective action respectively, finally 7) perceived oppression had an indirect effect on violent non-normative collective action tendency through contempt. In sum, normative and non-normative (non-violent vs. violent) collective action were driven by different psychological factors. Limitations, implications and directions in future research were discussed, such as the need for future research that addresses specific action efficacy, and how non-normative forms of collective action can be context dependent.O presente estudo pretendeu analisar preditores de tendência para envolvimento em três formas de ação coletiva - 1) normativa, 2) não violenta não-normativa, e 3) violenta não-normativa - no contexto dos movimentos pró-democracia na Tailândia. Analisou-se também o papel da perceção de opressão na tendência para ação coletiva violenta não-normativa via sentimentos de desprezo. Esses preditores não tinham sido analisados conjuntamente, e não num contexto não democrático. Aos participantes tailandeses maiores de 17 anos (N = 353) foi pedido que respondessem a um questionário online. Corroborando investigações anteriores, os resultados de uma path analysis do modelo proposto indicaram que 1) a identidade do movimento pró-democracia predisse avaliações de injustiça e eficácia do grupo, 2) a eficácia do grupo predisse apenas ação normativa, 3) avaliações de injustiça predisseram sentimentos de raiva e desprezo, 4) a raiva predisse mais fortemente ação normativa, e menos fortemente ação não violenta não-normativa, 5) o desprezo apenas previu ação violenta não-normativa, 6) a identidade do movimento pró-democracia predisse opressão percebida que, por sua vez, predisse desprezo e ação coletiva violenta não-normativa respetivamente; finalmente 7) a opressão percebida teve um efeito indireto na tendência da ação coletiva violenta não-normativa através do desprezo. Em suma, a ação coletiva normativa e não-normativa (não violenta vs. violenta) foi impulsionada por diferentes fatores psicológicos. Foram discutidas limitações, implicações e orientações na investigação futura, tais como a necessidade de investigação que aborde a eficácia específica para ação coletiva, e como as formas não-normativas de ação coletiva podem ser dependentes do contexto

reStAGEactivist art/disruptive technologies

In this article, I explore, with you, artists’ socio-political disruptions with communication technologies to inspire political action and social change, and how such art can be environmentally and socially useful. How does art function politically? What is activist art? What non-violent forms of dissent or disruptions to harmful practices are possible today with digital technologies, and how do artists manifest political perspectives in their practice

Death Reminders Increase Agreement With Extremist Views but Not Violent Extremist Action in Indonesian Muslims

Using terror management theory, we examined whether mortality salience (MS; death-related cognitions) increased support for religious and political extremism and/or violent extremism in young Indonesian Muslims. Muslim and non-Muslim Indonesian students studying in Australia were randomized to an MS or control condition. Following completion of a distracter task, participants were asked to rate their agreement/disagreement with another Indonesian Muslim student’s (bogus) statements toward extremist views and violent extremist actions. After controlling for alienation, Muslim students in the MS condition reported significantly higher levels of support for extremist views than did non-Muslims. There was no significant effect of MS on violent extremist action in either Muslims or non-Muslims. The results suggest that reminders of death (MS) may lead young Muslims to be more supportive of politically and religiously extreme views, but not violent action. Our findings lend partial support to previous research in Iranian Muslim students; however, further research is needed to establish factors that can result in increased support for violent extremism

Arab Muslims' negative meta-perceptions and non-normative collective action

What triggers people to engage in violent collective action has become a major question for everyone living in this day and age, and that social sciences, and social psychology in particular, have been seeking to address. Aimed to help in answering this question, this study investigated whether negative meta-perceptions trigger non-normative violent actions among Arab Muslims. Specifically, we examined if (1) Arab Muslims’ negative meta-perceptions of what Westerners think of them increase their support for violent collective, non-normative action, as well as for normative collective action and (2) if these effects will be stronger for those who endorse extreme forms of identification (i.e., identity fusion and collective narcissism). Participants from Lebanon, Algeria, and Tunisia (N = 174) were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions (control versus negative meta-perceptions). Contrary to expectations, there was no significant effect of negative meta-perceptions on normative or non-normative collective action, and also no significant interactions with collective narcissism and identity fusion. Hence, the manipulation was not effective, and the results of the study are not consistent with previous findings, which we will discuss. However, significant results showing an intriguing negative relation between negative meta-perceptions and non-normative collective action will be also discussed

Cameron’s counter extremism plan rests on shaky foundations

Underpinning David Cameron’s focus on non-violent extremism, delivered in a speech outlining the government’s counter extremism strategy, is the idea that there is a clear connection between radical ideas and radical action. The relationship between attitudes and behaviour is in fact far more complex, and targeting ‘non-violent extremists’ poses genuine risks for freedom of speech. Sarah Marsden examines Cameron’s speech, finding that it rests on shaky foundations

An Extended Radio Counterpart of TeV J2032+4130?

We carried out a 5-pointing mosaic observation of TeV J2032+4130 at 1.4 and 4.8 GHz with the VLA in April of 2003. The analysis of the 4.8GHz data indicate weak wispy shell-like radio structure(s) which are at least partially non-thermal. The radio data is compatible with one or more young supernova remnants or perhaps the signature of large scale cluster shocks in this region induced by the violent action of the many massive stars in Cyg OB2.Comment: Proc. 1st GLAST Symp. Feb 5-8, 2007, Stanford C

Solitons and black holes in non-Abelian Einstein-Born-Infeld theory

Recently it was shown that the Born-Infeld-type modification of the quadratic Yang-Mills action gives rise to classical particle-like solutions in the flat space which have a striking similarity with the Bartnik-McKinnon solutions known in the gravity coupled Yang-Mills theory. We show that both families are continuously related within the framework of the Einstein-Born-Infeld theory through interpolating sequences of parameters. We also investigate an internal structure of the associated black holes. It is found that the Born-Infeld non-linearity leads to a drastic modification of the black hole interior typical for the usual Yang-Mills theory. In the latter case a generic solution exhibits violent metric oscillations near the singularity. In the Born-Infeld case a generic interior solution is smooth, the metric has the standard Schwarzschild type singularity, and we did not observe internal horizons. Such smoothing of the 'violent' EYM singularity may be interpreted as a result of quantum effects.Comment: Latex, 9 pages, 9 eps figure