Looking Back, Moving Forward: Movement History, Movement Strategy

When and how do activists use movement history to shape their strategy? This paper aims to sensitize models of social movement strategy to fluctuations in temporal orientation. It analyses interviews with activists involved in movement history projects including archives, reading groups, and oral history in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, alongside the authors experiences, and finds that, first; movement history is sought out and valued during periods of uncertainty that occur at transitions in the cycle of protest. Second, activists use movement history within processes of collective identity to socialize new members, inspire commitment, legitimize and defend identities, strategies and gains. Third, movement history is also used in ways that weaken strategic capacity. The paper concludes by proposing to incorporate an orientation to the past in models of movement strategizing.