Diversity, Activism, and Global Concerns in the U.S. Peace Movement

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to discuss diversity among individual activists and the movement as a whole in the United States and identify the concerns, challenges, opportunities, and initiatives facing the broader network of global peace activists.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were from my study of U.S. peace activists that included 251 Internet survey respondents and 33 telephone interviewees.

Findings – I present a typology of internal and external challenges for the peace movement identified by activists, as well as five strategies for diversifying the movement.

Social implications – As some respondents expressed how their privileged status as American citizens prompted their peace activism, I explore how the intersection of a socially dominant status with the experience of belonging to a subordinated gender group impacts activism. I also discuss global opportunities to strengthen the peace and justice movement with a particular focus on women's activism.

Originality – While most studies of peace activism focus on social movement organizations, this is a comprehensive study of individuals involved in peace activism after September 11, 2001.

Citation

Toussaint, L. (2011), "Diversity, Activism, and Global Concerns in the U.S. Peace Movement", Ngan-Ling Chow, E., Texler Segal, M. and Tan, L. (Ed.) Analyzing Gender, Intersectionality, and Multiple Inequalities: Global, Transnational and Local Contexts (Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 263-285. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-2126(2011)0000015017