I noted the four previous episodes (intro, 1, 2, 3) of the Divestment Generation Mini Series about the University of Toronto fossil fuel divestment campaign.
Episode 4 is now up.
Author: Milan
In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. Between 2005 and 2007 I completed an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. I worked for five years for the Canadian federal government, including completing the Accelerated Economist Training Program, and then completed a PhD in Political Science at the University of Toronto in 2023.
View all posts by Milan
Mmm, this episode was different. It was more lighthearted and had less substance. I personally don’t think if climate Justice as the “cool
Kids club,” but rather a group of very committed and focussed activists.
Those comments do point to a prominent observation in the social movement literature – people often join and remain in movements more because of their personal connections to fellow activists than because of the cause.
By the same token, when activism is driven by a search for comfort and positive feelings, a sharp focus on changing real-world outcomes for those outside the movement can be lost.