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ritualistic-protest
The repetitive and symbolic nature of contemporary protest tactics that often lack clear demands or strategic direction, resulting in limited political impact.
1 chapter across 1 book
Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work (2015)Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 critiques the contemporary left's reliance on ritualistic protest tactics that yield minimal systemic change despite large mobilizations. It identifies a pattern of repeated resistance followed by apathy, attributing this failure partly to 'folk politics'—a set of intuitive but limiting strategic assumptions that hinder the left's ability to scale up and enact lasting transformation. The chapter also highlights the problematic privileging of affect and emotion over strategic analysis in current political activism.