Coping with Activism

Abstract

There is a continuum of anti-war activism ranging from the person full-time devoted to the cause to the onlooker who is moved to do little more than sign a petition opposing the occupation of Iraq. Analysts try to distinguish activism by what people do, yet the notion must also involve people’s own perceptions; since distinctions between ‘adherents’ and ‘bystanders’ rely significantly on the self-conceptions of those involved it is rarely possible to make straightforward categorizations. Nonetheless, at the least activism implies interest and some degree of engagement with anti-war issues. Minimally this requires that activists have some involvement with information about the wars and conflicts that move them; after all, there must be some awareness of the subject that motivates them to become involved in anti-war activities of some sort, whether this be attending a peace vigil, staffing a stall or leafleting a housing estate.