A natural response to suspected co-optation may be for activists to name and shame persons who were bought out, labeling them as traitors who cannot be trusted. Yet there might be a more shrewd way of handling co-optation: discreetly isolate, then disarm, then show them the exit. […]

He pasado la mayor parte de mi corta vida de adulto consolidando y liderando una organización cuyo objetivo es apoyar a los movimientos de resistencia. Desde 2012, Solidaridad Uganda ha pasado de ser un colectivo local de voluntarios en una comunidad campesina remota a una red internacional de apoyo a movimientos de resistencia de base en más de 70 países. […]

Uno de los momentos menos favoritos en mi trabajo como gerente de emergencias en las protestas contra el oleoducto de Standing Rock en 2016-2017, fue contemplar el cierre de una cocina del campamento debido a conflictos culturales entre dos grupos tribales nativo americanos. La cocina del ‘Campamento California,’ inicialmente dirigida por una chef profesional de la tribu Kurok, servía hasta 400 comidas diarias en su apogeo. […]

Luego del período de conflictividad social y protestas de 2017, los venezolanos comenzaron a perder la esperanza. En mayo de 2017 el régimen de Nicolás Maduro convocó a la elección de una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, mediante un proceso que la oposición y 40 países calificaron como un fraude. […]

A powerful pro-democracy civil insurrection in Sudan which has ousted a longstanding dictator and his successor is still in progress, but Sudanese are hopeful for a full democratic transition. This uprising challenges a number of prevailing myths many people have in the West regarding unarmed civil insurrections. […]

The Harry Potter bug never bit me. Glancing at the back cover of Rivera Sun’s The Way Between (Rising Sun Press Works, 2016) last month, my first thought was “I’m not sure this is my genre.” But I had noticed the novel making its way around my professional circles for some time, so I was curious to see for myself what the buzz was about. […]

The record of civil resistance in Algeria so far is impressive: In just six weeks, the people have not only forced their long-term serving president to renounce pursuing a fifth term in office, but have also obtained his resignation before the end of his current mandate. Equally remarkable, Algerians have reclaimed ownership of public space to voice their political demands.

Building a two-way street between civil resistance and social work could have many benefits on individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. What could those benefits look like? Perhaps social workers could be helping clients connect with local groups doing work around issues impacting clients’ lives. […]

“One year ago, the Venezuelan people were disheartened and apathetic. Since then, we have built the foundations of a broad-based opposition to the regime—and one with a powerful, peaceful, and organized agenda for pushing for change. […]”