Project Details
Description (abstract)
The RORE project studies ethnographically how activists in Finland today engage in high-risk activism. The research focuses on how these activist groups take shape, how risk affects group dynamics, and how the phenomena relates to changes in Finnish political culture.
Civic action in Finland has been characterized by a strong tradition of law-abiding protest and a highly organized civil society. However, over the last decennia, various non-routine practices of extra-institutional political action have been challenging the common script of civic action. These acts, distinguished by a willingness among some to put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of their cause, speak of changing practices, attitudes and values among activists.
The phenomenon of high-risk activism is a novel one in Finland, and one which has received limited attention in international scholarship on social movements. The research is conducted through ethnographic participatory observation and interviews with three distinct groups of activists. Firstly, it engages with the Extinction Rebellion movement who are outspoken about their strategy of non-violent civil disobedience. Despite this, they have routinely been at the receiving end of police violence. Secondly, anti-fascism carries a risk of being drawn into violent conflict with representatives of the extreme right. Whether it is by attending book presentations at a local library or going to a demonstration against neo-fascism, the risk of of violence exists regardless of one’s own inclination to resort to it. Lastly, groups of volunteers, some of them trained in the Finnish army, have chosen to join the international brigades in Rojava, Northern Syria. They have entered a conflict area to defend a utopian social experiment despite the danger and possible judicial consequences.
The project deepens understanding of the relationship between activism and violence, and sheds light on the contemporary civic practices. Moreover, the project contributes to the theoretical discussion on high-risk activism, as well as utopian and pre-figurative politics.
RORE is funded by the Kone foundation 2022-2025
Civic action in Finland has been characterized by a strong tradition of law-abiding protest and a highly organized civil society. However, over the last decennia, various non-routine practices of extra-institutional political action have been challenging the common script of civic action. These acts, distinguished by a willingness among some to put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of their cause, speak of changing practices, attitudes and values among activists.
The phenomenon of high-risk activism is a novel one in Finland, and one which has received limited attention in international scholarship on social movements. The research is conducted through ethnographic participatory observation and interviews with three distinct groups of activists. Firstly, it engages with the Extinction Rebellion movement who are outspoken about their strategy of non-violent civil disobedience. Despite this, they have routinely been at the receiving end of police violence. Secondly, anti-fascism carries a risk of being drawn into violent conflict with representatives of the extreme right. Whether it is by attending book presentations at a local library or going to a demonstration against neo-fascism, the risk of of violence exists regardless of one’s own inclination to resort to it. Lastly, groups of volunteers, some of them trained in the Finnish army, have chosen to join the international brigades in Rojava, Northern Syria. They have entered a conflict area to defend a utopian social experiment despite the danger and possible judicial consequences.
The project deepens understanding of the relationship between activism and violence, and sheds light on the contemporary civic practices. Moreover, the project contributes to the theoretical discussion on high-risk activism, as well as utopian and pre-figurative politics.
RORE is funded by the Kone foundation 2022-2025
| Acronym | KOVA - RORE |
|---|---|
| Status | Finished |
| Effective start/end date | 01/04/2022 → 31/12/2025 |