Conference article

Trying to Make a Difference. Political Involvement in Everyday Life

Maria Zachariasson
Department of culture studies and oriental languages, University of Oslo, Norway

Download article

Published in: Inter: A European Cultural Studies : Conference in Sweden 11-13 June 2007

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 25:68, p. 677-686

Show more +

Published: 2007-11-27

ISBN:

ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)

Abstract

When the media writes about young people and political action; they usually focus on the big; spectacular demonstrations and protests. Those are the kind of political actions that are most visible to the public; and they thus get the most attention. In my study of political involvement among youth; based on interviews with young people in the Global Justice Movement; I show that many individuals see other; less visible ways of acting politically as just as important as the big manifestations. Seemingly trivial choices in everyday life; what you buy; what you eat; how you travel etc. are by them seen as political actions; in those cases when they are motivated by political opinions and values. To keep up a “politically aware” lifestyle is however not always easy.

In my paper I give examples of how the interviewed individuals reason around the connection between such inconspicuous actions; their political involvement and their long term goal to change the world.

Keywords

No keywords available

References

Attac Norge. [web page] (2007.09.01) (URL: http://www.attac.no.)

Attac Sweden. [web page] (2007.09.01) (URL: http://attac.se).

Beck, Ulrich (1996)Att uppfinna det politiska. Bidrag till en teori om reflexiv modernisering. Göteborg: Daidalos.

Blehr, Barbro (2000) En norsk besvärjelse. 17 maj-firande vid 1900-talets slut. Nora: Nya Doxa.

Breines, Wini (1982) Community and organization in the New Left. 1962-1968: the great refusal. New York: Praeger.

Clinell, Bim (2000) Attac. Gräsrötternas revolt mot marknaden. Agoras skriftserie 3. Stockholm: Agora.

Cunningham, Steve & Lavalette, Michael (2004) "’Active citizens’ or ’irresponsible truants’? School student strikes against the war", Critical Social Policy24 (2): 255-269.

Della Porta, Donatella & Diani, Mario (2006) Social movements. An introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.

Engman, Jonas (1999) Rituell process, tradition och media. Socialdemokratisk första maj i Stockholm. Stockholm: Etnologiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet.

Ergon, Jens & Abrahamsson, Hans (2001) En annan värld är möjlig. Attac. Stockholm: Manifest kulturproduktion.

Flyghed, Janne, Mathiesen, Thomas & Dahl, Øyvind Brungot (2001) Göteborg 14. til 17. juni 2001. 15 norske beretninger fra EU toppmøtet. Oslo: Thomas Mathiesen.

Fórum Social Mundial. [web page] (2007.09.01). (URL: www.forumsocialmundial.org.br)

Giddens, Anthony (1994) Beyond left and right. The future of radical politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Göteborgskommittén (2002) Göteborg 2001. Betänkande. Statens offentliga utredningar, 2002:122. Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer.

Hastrup, Kirsten (1995) A passage to anthropology. Between experience and theory. London: Routledge.

Häggqvist, Patrik (2002) "Farhågor och förhoppningar. Göteborgs-Postens bild av protesterna mot EU-mötet sommaren 2001" i Liliequist, Marianne & Lundälv, Jörgen (red) Gatans politik. Göteborgsdemonstrationerna juni 2001. Ur mediernas, polisernas och demonstranternas perspektiv. Gävle: Meyers.

Klein, Naomi (2002) No logo: no space, no choice, no jobs, no logo. Märkena, marknaden, motståndet. Stockholm: Ordfront.

Lundälv, Jörgen & Liliequist, Marianne (2002) Gatans politik. Göteborgsdemonstrationerna juni 2001 ur mediernas, polisernas och demonstranternas perspektiv. Gävle: Meyer Information och förlag.

Polet, François & Houtart, François (2001) The Other Davos. The globalization of resistance to the world economic system. London: Zed Books.

Ponniah, Thomas & Fisher, William F. (2003) Another world is possible. Popular alternatives to globalization at the World Social Forum. London: Zed Books.

Vogel, Joachim, Amnå, Erik et.al. (2003) Föreningslivet i Sverige. Välfärd, socialt kapital, demokratiskola. Levnadsförhållanden, 98 Stockholm: Statistiska centralbyrån (SCB).

Weeks, Jeffrey (1995) Invented moralities. Sexual values in an age of uncertainty. New York: Columbia Univ. Press.

Wennerhag, Magnus (ed.) (2006). Aktivister. Sociala forum, globala sociala rörelser och demokratins förnyelse. Atlas: Stockholm.

White, Clarissa, Bruce, Sara& Ritchie, Jane (2000) Young people’s politics. Political interest and engagement amongst 14- to 24-year-olds. London: National Centre for Social Research.

Zackariasson, Maria (2006) Viljan att förändra världen. Politiskt engagemang hos unga i den globala rättviserörelsen. Umeå: Boréa.

Cited Interviews

Alva 26 years old, Sweden, Attac & Social Forum. Interview 2002-05-22.

Anita 23 years old, Norway, Attac. Interview 2004-06-15.

Jenny 25 years old, Sweden, Attac & Social Forum. Interview 2002-09-27.

Lina 19 years old, Norway, Social forum. Interview 2003-02-22.

Marie 28 years old, Sweden, Attac & Social Forum. Interview 2003-01-19.

Rikke 25 years old, Norway, Attac. Interview 2004-03-31.

Citations in Crossref