Sowing the Seeds of Resistance
Sowing the Seeds of Resistance
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A snapshot of my PhD research
A snapshot of my PhD research
From frontline direct action to collective care strategies, Do-It-Yourself culture is a core element in grassroots activist communities. My PhD research explores the creative manifestations of DIY ethos in activist culture and practice across select regions in three countries: Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Using a cross-cultural analysis between the three countries, I seek to understand how DIY is used to empower local communities, wield resistance, and circumvent the restrictions of a global pandemic. This project offers a novel contribution to the field of social movement studies as it probes the multifaceted connection between DIY ethos and activist culture, which is largely missing from the literature on activism in this field. It also places three countries in dialogue with one another on a range of important issues, such as digital literacy, gender inequality, accessibility, and strategies of collective care.
Drawing on the findings from in-person fieldwork and online in-depth interviews in 2020-2021, I investigate the comprehensive toolkits of DIY resistance employed by grassroots activists facing rising political repression, increasing socio-economic instability, and the uncertainty of COVID-19. Furthermore, I invoke a critical feminist lens to address the paramount role of women in grassroots activist spaces. From peasant advocates in the Philippines to anarcha-feminists in Indonesia, women occupy a significant presence both on the frontlines and behind the scenes. I discuss their essential role in community resilience and caretaking, while also highlighting the disparities around accessibility, inclusivity, and safety in grassroots activist spaces. I argue, ultimately, that activism work is a form of care work, which offers opportunities of empowerment, but simultaneously recreates aspects of the patriarchal order.
This research does not only look outwards at the imperfections of grassroots activist communities, but also looks inwards at the ethical and methodological challenge of conducting qualitative research with contentious and vulnerable subjects. I explore the logistical challenges of adapting fieldwork practices during a pandemic and propose methodological tools such as a risk assessment protocol to promote safer research with activists. I also address the emotional tensions of militant ethnography as an activist-researcher who is invested both professionally and personally in the project while acknowledging the value of community-engaged practice.
The key tenets of grassroots activism are analysed throughout my work with a careful attention to the way that cultural norms inform each spatial and temporal context. Critical discussions combine socio-cultural, historical, political, and gendered dimensions to offer a multi-layered analysis of the people who shape social movements from within. Throughout the work, the micro level of personal experience and activist identity is embedded within the macro level of cultural identifiers and social structures. From colonialism to class, contextual factors must be considered to make sense of resistance acts and manifestations of DIY. Stories of creative action, loss, and community care are shared by activists who are often overlooked, and some, punished for their political engagement. Their experiences on the ground help to counter the misrepresentations of activists in mainstream media while also being cautious to avoid romanticising resistance.
My research is explicitly feminist and political and seeks to legitimise grassroots activist work as the labour of love that it truly is.
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