American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave

Dana R. Fisher

Published by Columbia University Press 2019

American Resistance

From the Women's March to the Blue Wave

Dana R. Fisher

https://doi.org/10.7312/fish18764

Overview
Contents

About this book

Who are the millions of people marching against the Trump administration? American Resistance traces activists from the streets back to the communities and congressional districts around the country where they live, work, and vote. Using innovative data, Dana R. Fisher analyzes how resistance groups have channeled outrage into activism.

Author / Editor information

Dana R. Fisher is professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her books include Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (2006).

Reviews

James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and board member of Our Revolution:
Exactly what happened between the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the 2018 takeover of the House of Representatives by Democrats, and how did it happen? While conventional wisdom lazily suggested a pendulum swing, Dana R. Fisher, using survey data of participants in the two-year-long Resistance, gets under the skin of this movement to help us understand how it initially came together and then was able to sustain itself through the 2018 elections. More than just a fascinating piece of sociological research, Fisher's study will be a valuable resource for movement activists, helping them better understand the inner dynamics of their organizing work.

Theda Skocpol, director, Scholars Strategy Network, and Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University:
After the shocking 2016 election, millions of Americans took to streets and meeting halls to fight President Trump’s agenda and revitalize U.S. democracy. Using interviews with the leaders of national political groups and surveys of thousands of participants in D.C. protest marches, Dana R. Fisher offers a window into their passionate, loosely coordinated efforts to boost 2018 Democratic fortunes in Congress and the states while proclaiming a very un-Trumpian vision for the country’s future.

Leah Greenberg, co-executive director, Indivisible:
American Resistance charts the course of the anti-Trump surge in activism and organizing, shedding light on crucial realities and busting myths along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the people-powered movements that are changing American politics in the Trump era.

E. J. Dionne, Jr., coauthor of One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported:
American Resistance is an important book, not only as a portrait of our moment but also as a challenge to traditional understandings of protest politics. Dana R. Fisher shows how wrong it is—especially in the Trump era—to draw sharp lines between protest and electoral action. She details what drove millions to come out in revolt against Trump, explains who they are, and demonstrates how the early marches translated into the unprecedented political engagement of 2018. There are lessons here for 2020 and beyond.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Chapter One. HOW DID WE GET HERE? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter Two. RESISTANCE IN THE STREETS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
Chapter Three. ORGANIZING THE RESISTANCE IN THE DISTRICTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
Chapter Four. RESISTANCE IN THE DISTRICTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
Chapter Five. LOOKING BACK WHILE MARCHING FORWARD Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
METHODOLOGICAL APPENDIX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	149
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	189

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: General/trade;

eBook

Published: October 21, 2019
ISBN: 9780231547390