Review of Some Concepts and Questions that Should Help You Think About Beneath the Equator April 13, 2000

For Tuesday, please read Parker to page 123 We will discuss following two issues (plus any others you raise): –For “Part One: Cultures of Desire”, we will discuss the quotation I sent you by (issue of hegemony/counter-hegemony). Also, please come ready to discuss forces enabling and disabling to formation of collective identity, collective subjecthood, and collective action –For chapter 4, “Dependent Development”, please come ready to discuss forces enabling and disabling to formation of collective identity, collective subjecthood, and collective action

“Collective identity” consciousness/awareness that I belong to a specific, named group of people by virtue of sharing past and present “stuff” that I feel, or have come to feel, is important, such as ancestry collective experiences (discrimination, being at odds with dominant norms, etc.) values/beliefs language

“Collective subject” Collective identity as basis; then a continuum of increasing: consciousness of common interests –not just the “stuff”, but also –common needs that must be defended and fulfilled (“interests”) defending against loss of language elimination the discrimination, etc. consciousness of potential agency –“we” have ability –to engage in collective action –to realize our interests Examples of contrast among gays in US?

Collective Action Defined: action engaged in primarily to advance interests of collective subject Kinds of collective action –Unorganized uprisings individual parallelism –Organized building organizations and institutions organizing and leading collective action –identity work, unifying identity –educating public, articulating interests –lobbying the state –demonstrating and confronting

Collective identity/subject as resource and project Assumption of classic social movement theories –unified collective identities and subjects already exist Pre-existing collective identities as resource –Kayapo, Zapatistas, Mothers of la Plaza, evangelicals –negros; emerging gay identities Collective identities as projects –black movement –gay movement Collective subjects as projects –all the above

Ingredients in “identity”and “subject” recipes Sometimes “spontaneous” (the souffle bakes itself!); sometimes through leadership of activists Places and institutions –good for identity formation: boundaries, insiders (gay clubs?) –spaces of possibility for subject-formation (women’s mvmt) Norms and values (both identities and subjects) Ideas (more for subjects) –nature of the identity –systemic source of grievance –rights –plans of action –assessments Media

Some forms of collective action in everyday life Everyday interventions: other-directed Prefigurative community challenging, oppositional displays of the body

While you read Parker Identify in his analysis –processes of development of collective identity –processes of development of collective subjecthood –kinds of collective action What are some inhibiting/disabling factors of each? –Machismo? Class? Procreative familism? What are some enabling factors? –Urban geography? Institutions? Capitalist relations?Democratization and opening up id civil society? AIDS crisis? To what extent are these identities/subjects counter-hegemonic?

For Tuesday: reminder We will discuss following two issues (plus any others you raise): –For “Part One: Cultures of Desire”, we will discuss the quotation I sent you by (issue of hegemony/counter-hegemony). Also, please come ready to discuss forces enabling and disabling to formation of collective identity, collective subjecthood, and collective action –For chapter 4, “Dependent Development”, please come ready to discuss forces enabling and disabling to formation of collective identity, collective