Lisa Mueller - Böcker

From spray-painted slogans in Senegal to student uprisings in South Africa, twenty-first century Africa has seen an explosion of protests and social movements. But why? Protests flourish amidst an emerging middle class whose members desire political influence and possess the money, education, and political autonomy to effectively launch movements for democratic renewal. In contrast with pro-democracy protest leaders, rank-and-file protesters live at a subsistence level and are motivated by material concerns over any grievance against a ruling regime. Through extensive field research, Lisa Mueller shows that middle-class political grievances help explain the timing of protests, while lower-class material grievances explain the participation. By adapting a class-based analysis to African cases where class is often assumed to be irrelevant, Lisa Mueller provides a rigorous yet accessible explanation for why sub-Saharan Africa erupted in unrest at a time of apparent economic prosperity.

From spray-painted slogans in Senegal to student uprisings in South Africa, twenty-first century Africa has seen an explosion of protests and social movements. But why? Protests flourish amidst an emerging middle class whose members desire political influence and possess the money, education, and political autonomy to effectively launch movements for democratic renewal. In contrast with pro-democracy protest leaders, rank-and-file protesters live at a subsistence level and are motivated by material concerns over any grievance against a ruling regime. Through extensive field research, Lisa Mueller shows that middle-class political grievances help explain the timing of protests, while lower-class material grievances explain the participation. By adapting a class-based analysis to African cases where class is often assumed to be irrelevant, Lisa Mueller provides a rigorous yet accessible explanation for why sub-Saharan Africa erupted in unrest at a time of apparent economic prosperity.

'I love this book! At a time in which activism must urgently rise to be a much more effective tool for systems change, Mueller gives us a deeply researched yet practical reference book to methodically take activism from passion to impact.' Christiana Figueres, author of The Future We ChooseFrom Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring, to the pro-democracy uprisings in Hong Kong and the George Floyd protests in Mueller's hometown of Minneapolis, we are seeing one of the largest worldwide swells of unrest in human history, and yet the individuals taking part have little sense of whether and when their bravery and sacrifice make a difference. Changemaker: A Data-Driven Guide to Being an Effective Activist will place proven tools in the hands of activists on the ground, with careful attention to the ethics of implementing various strategies.Current events and evolving technologies create an urgent need for an understanding of how to make protest and activism effective. Democratically-minded protesters are under pressure to keep up with authoritarians, who are quickly learning how to use science and data analytics to get the upper hand on anyone who would defy them. This book can help to level the playing field between the enemies and guardians of freedom.Changemaker provides a comprehensive, practical and essential playbook for both seasoned and aspiring activists and all those interested in how to effect real change. Including stories and quotes from activist protesters, Mueller incorporates lessons from international protest movements that social scientists study extensively but that many Western activists know little about.