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Conflict and resolution are the lifeblood of social movements. How, and with whom, do we find lasting friendship, support, and joy in a world in need of so much repair?In On Activism, Friendships, and Fighting veteran organizer and social worker Benjamin Heim Shepard traces a pressing dynamic of social movements: friendship and conflict. The project builds on oral histories with more than thirty movement organizers—from AIDS, queer, trade union, community, Occupy, and harm reduction-based movements—reflecting on the lessons, meanings, and future directions of movements and collective organizing efforts. “There is a hunger for radical history – to give credit to past struggles, to learn from our mistakes and to improve our strategies for the future,” writes Lesley Wood. Oral histories trace the stories of these movements.
The book goes in depth into the reasons and ways the interviewees became involved in activism, the friendships they formed, and the conflicts they faced. This includes asking questions such as: where do friendships support or undermine these efforts? How can conflicts be resolved? And where do people find lasting support?
List of contents
Interviewees
Preface
Chapter One
“Because it was he: because it was me”: Introductory Notes on Friendship, Conflict, and a History of Ideas
Chapter Two
Oral History and Social Movements: From Chicago to San Francisco
Chapter Three
Queering Friendship: Activism and Comradeship, Drag Memories and New Friends
Chapter Four
On Friendship and Problems
Chapter Five
“Where be these enemies?”: On Conflict
Interlude: “Anarchy Is for Lovers”: Between Progress and Conflict
Chapter Six
On Safer Spaces
Chapter Seven
On Resolution and Dialogue
Chapter Eight
Working Through
Chapter Nine
Meaning Making
Chapter Ten
“A comrade becomes a comrade”: Reflections and Conclusions on Rebel Friendship
About the author
Benjamin H. Shepard, PhD, LMSW, works as Professor of Human Services at City Tech/CUNY. He has organized protests with ACT UP, SexPanic!, Reclaim the Streets, the Clandestine Rebel Clown Army, Absurd Response, CitiWide Harm Reduction, Housing Works, More Gardens Coalition, Time’s UP!, Right of Way, Occupy Wall Street, Occupy the Pipeline, Resist AIM, Public Space Party, and the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York, where he is a chapter chair at New York City College of Technology.
Shepard has written and edited ten books, including recent titles
Rebel Friendships: “Outsider” Networks and Social Movements (Sage, 2015);
Sustainable Urbanism (Roman and Littlefield, 2017);
Brooklyn Tides with Mark Noonan (Transcript, 2017); and
Narrating Perspectives on Childhood and Adolescence (Columbia University Press, 2018).
Summary
Conflict and resolution are the lifeblood of social movements. How, and with whom, do we find lasting friendship, support, and joy in a world in need of so much repair?
In On Activism, Friendships, and Fighting veteran organizer and social worker Benjamin Heim Shepard traces a pressing dynamic of social movements: friendship and conflict. The project builds on oral histories with more than thirty movement organizers—from AIDS, queer, trade union, community, Occupy, and harm reduction-based movements—reflecting on the lessons, meanings, and future directions of movements and collective organizing efforts. “There is a hunger for radical history – to give credit to past struggles, to learn from our mistakes and to improve our strategies for the future,” writes Lesley Wood. Oral histories trace the stories of these movements.
The book goes in depth into the reasons and ways the interviewees became involved in activism, the friendships they formed, and the conflicts they faced. This includes asking questions such as: where do friendships support or undermine these efforts? How can conflicts be resolved? And where do people find lasting support?
Foreword
Key publicity targets
- Review in The Nation
- Review in Los Angeles Review of Books
- Interview in Dissent Magazine
- Interview in Truthout
- Extract in The New Inquiry
Social media marketing campaign
- Pre-order discount and bundle sales
- Endorsement and pre-publication reviews
- “Re-post/tag friends” giveaway to drive engagement and sales
