Between Democracy and Efficiency

This chapter explores the organisational structures and procedures that XR rely on. We argue that XR’s organisational setup has facilitated the movement’s rapid growth but has also made internal decision-making opaque, thereby decreasing internal democrac

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Extinction Rebellion and Climate Change Activism

Oscar Berglund · Daniel Schmidt

Extinction Rebellion and Climate Change Activism Breaking the Law to Change the World

Oscar Berglund University of Bristol Bristol, UK

Daniel Schmidt University of Bristol Bristol, UK

ISBN 978-3-030-48358-6 ISBN 978-3-030-48359-3 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48359-3 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Melisa Hasan This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

To all those fighting for a sustainable and just world

Contents

1 8

1

Introduction References

2

XR and Anarchism 2.1 The Anarchist Label as Othering 2.2 The Non-Anarchism of XR 2.3 Direct Action 2.4 Prefiguration 2.5 Conclusion References

9 10 13 16 18 21 22

3

Civility and Disobedience 3.1 Civil Disobedience 3.2 Legitimacy 3.3 The Last Resort and Fidelity to Law 3.4 Arrests, Sacrifice & Exclusion 3.5 Conclusion References

25 27 29 32 34 37 37

4

Between Democracy and Efficiency 4.1 Nested Structures and Geographical Scaling 4.2 Horizontalist Aspirations 4.3 Power Structures and Hidden Hierarchies

41 42 44 48 vii

viii

CONTENTS

4.4 People’s Assemblies 4.5 Conclusion References

50 54 55

5

Reimagining Democracy 5.1 The Crisis of Representative Democracy 5.2 Participation and Deliberation 5.3 Citizens’ Assemblies and Solution Agnosticism 5.4 Revolutionary Reformist Politics 5.5 Conclusion References

59 60 63 67 69 72 73

6

A Theory of Change: The Civil Resistance Model 6.1 What Is to Be Done? 6.2 The 3.5% 6.3 Civil Resistance and Climate Change Activism 6.4 Conclusion References

79 80