Iranian protesters turn to TikTok to get their message past government censors

The app best known for kids sharing video clips of themselves singing and dancing has become a powerful tool for activists speaking out against repression in Iran.

Whitney Shylee May, Ph.D. candidate in American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts • conversation
Dec. 13, 2022 ~8 min

How young climate activists are making their voices heard at COP27 over Egypt's protest suppression

Activists aren’t necessarily more aggressive than in the past, but they are using creative and sometime shocking new tactics that quickly go viral.

Shannon Gibson, Associate Professor of International Relations and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences • conversation
Nov. 16, 2022 ~9 min


Throwing soup on a Van Gogh and other ways climate protesters are making their voices heard over Egypt's climate summit suppression

Activists aren’t necessarily more aggressive than in the past, but they are using creative and sometime shocking new tactics that quickly go viral.

Shannon Gibson, Associate Professor of International Relations and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences • conversation
Nov. 16, 2022 ~9 min

Just Stop Oil: journalist arrests show how the demonisation of protest threatens us all

Eight journalists covering a protest on the M25 motorway were recently detained by police.

Michael Rosie, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, The University of Edinburgh • conversation
Nov. 14, 2022 ~7 min

Public order bill: new law is designed to stop climate protests – but it could actually give activists a legal tool

A legal expert explains how climate activists could use the government’s own legislation to their advantage.

Chris Hilson, Professor of Law, Director of the Centre for Climate and Justice, University of Reading • conversation
Oct. 31, 2022 ~7 min

Just Stop Oil: do radical protests turn the public away from a cause? Here's the evidence

People want to shoot the messenger, but they do hear the message.

Colin Davis, Chair in Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 21, 2022 ~8 min

'Too afraid to have kids' – how BirthStrike for Climate lost control of its political message

BirthStrike offers a salutary lesson about how core messages can be misconstrued and misunderstood when put through a high-profile media lens.

Heather McMullen, Lecturer, Centre for Public Health & Policy, Queen Mary University of London • conversation
Sept. 15, 2022 ~31 min

Building something better: How community organizing helps people thrive in challenging times

Organizers across the US are finding innovative grassroots strategies for helping people thrive. Many of these ventures emphasize working together as part of communities and collective systems.

Meghan Elizabeth Kallman, Assistant Professor of International Development, UMass Boston • conversation
Sept. 8, 2022 ~10 min


Climate activism has so far been fairly peaceful: here’s why that might change

Global climate movements have espoused nonviolence, but some are adopting more radical tactics in light of the increasing threats posed by climate change.

Alex McLaughlin, Research Associate in Existential Risk, University of Cambridge • conversation
July 7, 2022 ~8 min

Climate change: radical activists benefit social movements – history shows why

Direct action can make the demands of a mainstream movement seem reasonable.

Heather Alberro, Lecturer in Global Sustainable Development, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
May 24, 2022 ~6 min

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