Bearing Witness and the Logic of Celebrity in the Struggle Over Canada’s Oil/Tar Sands

Abstract

Referred to as “oil sands” by industry proponents and “tar sands” by protestors, this chapter examines how environmental movements against bitumen development have set out to navigate a media-saturated political environment and secure both visibility and legitimacy for their claims. The chapter’s empirical material is based on analysis of 96 acts of political contestation pertaining to bitumen development in Alberta between January 2007 and January 2016. Drawing on della Porta and Diani’s (2006) concept of activist logics, the chapter describes the use of “bearing witness” as a media-orientated and media conscious protest strategy used by environmental groups to contest the bitumen sands. The chapter focuses on the wide use of celebrities in tar sands protests, including celebrity interventions and celebrity site visits, with specific attention paid to the anti-tar sands actions of celebrities Neve Campbell, Neil Young, James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio. The chapter argues that “the logic of celebrity” must be acknowledged as a fourth activist logic which underwrites, orients, facilitates and constrains political action.