movements & why they matter srilatha batliwala scholar associate, building feminist movements...

Movements & Why They Matter

Srilatha BatliwalaScholar Associate, Building Feminist Movements & Organizations (BFEMO) InitiativeAWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development)

23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 1

What is a Movement?An organized set of constituents pursuing a common political agenda of change through collective action.


What is Movement Building? 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 access their 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.


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


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.

The key characteristics of strong movements are therefore:


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!


Feminist movements haveWomen as the key constituency / critical mass

of the movement’s membershipFeminist 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


The AWID Study of women’s movementsMovement Region / Country Movement Region / Country

Czech Mothers Centers East Europe Iranian Women’s Movement

Middle East / Iran

Disabled Women’s Movement

Global Palestinian Women’s Movement

Middle East / Palestine

Dalit Mahila Sanghathan – Dalit Women’s Movement

South Asia / India Piqueteras Latin America / Argentina

Domestic Workers Alliance

North America / United States

One in Nine Campaign Southern Africa / South Africa

GALANG – Poor Lesbian Movement

Southeast Asia / Philippines

Roma Women East & Central Europe

GROOTS Kenya – rural/urban grassroots women’s movement

Africa / Kenya SuWEP Sudan Women’s Peace Movement

Northeast Africa / Sudan

Indigenous Women’s Movement

Central America / Mexico

VAMP/SANGRAM India / South Asia23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 8

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 externally23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011 9

What our study highlighted as key features of strong women’s movements: Leadership from the primary constituency / “mass bas

e” 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


Why Movements Matter: they can create change from individual to systemic levels, and in

both formal and informal domains!

Individual

Systemic

Informal Formal

Internalized attitudes, values,

practices

Access to & control over resources

Cultural norms, beliefs, practices

Laws, policies, resource allocations

Community

Courtesy Rao & Kelleher, 2005

Advocacy /

lobbying can

change theseAdvocacy /

lobbying can

change these

Advocacy /

lobbying cannot

change theseAdvocacy /

lobbying cannot

change these

Only move

ments

can ch

ange

these

Only move

ments

can ch

ange

these


Key Steps in Movement Building

3. Consciousness

Raising / Awareness

Building within the

constituency

6. Mobilizing & Organizing the “Constituency”

7. Identifying Action Priorities &

Strategies

8. Action/s for Change

9.c. Analyzing

the situation

9.a. Dealing with

backlash

1. Perception of Injustice

2. Inspired, determined leadership

10.b. Designing new strategies

9.d. Expanding participation /

base

9.b. Absorbing

gains

5. Building a political agenda

10.a. Refining the political agenda

4. Creating Space

23-04-19 SBatliwala, AWID-YFA 2011

Our study showed that movements have different stages of growth & levels of maturity

Stage One: Movements in the Making

Stage 2: Emerging Movements

Stage 3: Mature Movements

Stage 4: Movements that

are dying


Factors constraining movement building / emergence:


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)


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


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…



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!



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.)


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!


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?


movements & why they matter srilatha batliwala scholar associate, building feminist movements...

Documents

change agenda

fundamentalist movements

time movements

change leadership

womens rights

characteristics of feminist

womens leadership

gendered feminist analysis