Organizing for Change: An Ethnographic Study of Civil Disobedience in Climate Activism

Abstract

As greenhouse gas emissions keep growing and global temperatures keep rising at unprecedented rates, addressing the causes of climate change has become increasingly urgent. As a result, several climate activist groups have begun engaging in more radical methods of advocating for environmentally protective legislation. One of the prominent methods utilized by climate activist groups has been conducting acts of civil disobedience. This ethnographic case study examines how the climate activist group, the Last Generation (LG), organizes civil disobedience in their efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. LG is a German-based social movement organization that is recognized for their contentious acts of civil disobedience, including roadblocks and desecrating artworks, which has resulted in considerable media attention. We employ a grounded theory approach, utilizing a triangulation of qualitative methods based on interviews, observations, and secondary data, which we analyze with support from classical and contemporary theories. The research finds that LG’s organization of civil disobedience consists of three primary components. First, we discover that LG organizes themselves through a centralized structure that enables quick decision-making and flexibility. Second, we reveal that LG has a collective identity that is characterized by strong moral convictions and the nurturing of a sense of community. Lastly, we find that LG employs the use of various civil disobedience tactics to achieve their objectives, with structured plans to optimize their efforts. This thesis aims to enrich the current literature on social movement organizations and the usage of civil disobedience within social movements.