| Chapter : | Introduction |
Whereas the previous chapter focused on participation through image events, chapter 10, “‘Smells Like Folk Life’: Participants' Identity Construction at Step It Up,” demonstrates how participants are themselves shaped through their participation in advocacy and public events. Specifically, participant identities are renegotiated to fit the activities they are involved with, including advocacy and activism. The chapter concludes by discussing how this shift for individuals can be a potential resource for campaigns.
Next, chapter 11, “Environmentalism 2.0: New Forms of Social Activism,” argues that SIU represents a new system of activism in which organizational tactics and rhetoric differ from establishment environmentalism. This new system of activism makes the roles of participants differ too. In environmentalism 2.0, individuals are offered an open invitation to contribute to the movement, whereby their participation creates a constantly evolving and changing organization. After describing the new system of advocacy, the authors discuss the practical and critical implications of these changes.
Finally, chapter 12, “An Ecologist's Response to the SIU Campaign: The Role of Natural Sciences in Environmental Movements,” examines the roles of natural science and scientists in SIU as the basis for discussing the challenges scientists face in participating in campaigns and movements. Explaining why the philosophy of natural science does not automatically lend itself to activism, the author suggests how advocates and activists might approach scientists with requests for data and their interpretation of data, which can contribute to advocacy efforts and enable scientists to act on their values.
Drawing on theory from rhetoric, organizational studies, and political science, these chapters tell the story of SIU from multiple levels and perspectives. But they do more than capture a past event; they use SIU as grist for discussion about what it takes to build a movement. Together, they provide a set of strategies for advocates and activists interested in building a movement in the twenty-first century. This volume builds on the efforts of SIU to create a movement to curb climate change and other environmental crises.