The Art of Protest Culture and Activism From the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle

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Start your review of The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Ceremonious Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle

This review has been subconscious considering it contains spoilers. To view it, click hither. Highly decorated scholar T V Reed has spent decades studying culture, politics and activism in America. His 2d book, The Art of Protestis a well idea out, intricate study of the influence fine art has had on activism over the years. The book focuses on social movements, which he defines as, "… the unauthorized, unofficial, anti-institutional, collective action of ordinary citizens trying to change their earth."(Pg. i) The premise of the book is that America is shaped by activism, and activism Highly decorated scholar T V Reed has spent decades studying culture, politics and activism in America. His 2nd volume, The Art of Protestis a well thought out, intricate written report of the influence fine art has had on activism over the years. The volume focuses on social movements, which he defines as, "… the unauthorized, unofficial, anti-institutional, commonage action of ordinary citizens trying to change their world."(Pg. i) The premise of the book is that America is shaped past activism, and activism is greatly influenced by art.

From embrace to encompass information technology reads similar a textbook. Each affiliate, except the concluding ane, discusses a social movement. They are arranged in chronological order showtime with the influence of gospel music on the early Ceremonious Rights motion and catastrophe with modernistic media culture and the worldwide movement against corporate globalization. All of his points are supported past a level of inquiry and analysis that tin can merely exist accomplished through decades of work. To me, this is where the book commands respect. He tells the story with such an academic accurateness that it's easy to find yourself in awe of the noesis. There are many points in the reading where information technology is downright overwhelming.

Make no fault; this is not a book nearly hippies singing anti-war songs around a campfire. This book provides factual analysis of each movement and how it was influenced past art besides as what art the movement itself influenced. He's careful to point out that he is just an observer and is giving the perspective of an observer, merely information technology is clear from the beginning that his knowledge level is not that of the casual observer. Nor is he painting all of the protests with the same light; in chapter 6 he takes "charity rock" to task for beingness disingenuous and poorly executed. Reed says of the ii biggest "charity rock" albums of the 80s, "Taken together, these ii records could exist said to add up to this message, 'We' [in the West] are the world, and 'they' [in Africa] don't fifty-fifty know it's Christmas." (Pg. 161) He goes on to deconstruct the move down to its cadre atoms and criticize information technology for failing to focus its power where it really counts, on the governments that allowed Apartheid. However, he is fair. He praises the movement for the astonishing amount of money it raised. He also doesn't shy away from showing support for the movements he feels were better organized and more successful. He writes with zeal when describing the activist group Human action UP and the bold methods used to increase AIDS sensation in the shadow of Reaganites and the bourgeois political car of the 80s. Sadly, this is one of the few capacity of the book where he displays any passion.

The final chapter is "Reflections on the Cultural Study of Social Movements." Here he finishes upward his academic analysis of culture, art and social movements. Once again, the level of knowledge is staggering and his ability to break something so big downward to a logical process is vivid.

I have niggling criticism for the structure of this book. The writing is cracking. It has a natural flow that makes it an easy read, which is good because I had to read some parts several times to sympathize them. I call back the title could exist considered misleading. One might call up a book nigh activism, art and civilization would exist written with some kind of passion, whereas Reed's take is purely factual. It is a sterile, matter-of-fact look at how art and culture take shaped American activism.

At the terminate of the twenty-four hour period, this is an excellent textbook. If you lot take to write a newspaper on the construction of protest, activism and civilisation, this is the volume for y'all. I dubiety there is a better one in circulation. However, if you lot desire to know what it's like to protestation, if you desire to know what it feels like to have so much passion for a cause that you need to push back against the establishment, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

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Sep 20, 2013 Lily Morgan rated it it was astonishing

It was difficult to read because of the seriousness of the content matter but it was very informative and moving. An fantabulous view of extremely of import parts of American history. Also great if yous are thinking of getting involved in any modern movements or protests as an idea volume.

Apr 05, 2021 Rhys rated it liked it

I was pleasantly surprised at how informative this volume was sampling the cultural contributions to protest, with examples from ceremonious rights, Black Panthers, feminism, AIDS/HIV and environmental justice. Dimensions of mobilizing/organizing, representation/articulation, diffusion/defusion are explored showing the importance of culture in customs-building behind a social or political cause.

Corporate greed, government inaction and public indifference remain the troika of mobilizing change through

I was pleasantly surprised at how informative this book was sampling the cultural contributions to protestation, with examples from civil rights, Black Panthers, feminism, AIDS/HIV and environmental justice. Dimensions of mobilizing/organizing, representation/joint, improvidence/defusion are explored showing the importance of culture in community-edifice behind a social or political cause.

Corporate greed, government inaction and public indifference remain the troika of mobilizing change through protest, and this volume offers some ways to suspension through.

"Cultural factors of significant-making are always semi-autonomous with regard to material conditions. In not taking seriously qualities like pride, dignity, promise, faith, self-esteem, and related elements of consciousness, or by reducing them to "merely" psychological or subjective factors, we may miss central dimensions of a movement'south impact. We may also rob subordinated groups of one of their most valuable resources—their ability to encounter themselves differently from how they are seen by their oppressors" (p.310).

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Nov 13, 2019 Sherry rated it it was ok

The linguistic communication is and then unnecessarily complicated that 1 begins to wonder if it is done intentionally to dazzle the dumb-minded, and much information is redundant to give an impression of expertise on the subject. If you are going to waste material time, don't waste material it on this ane. The language is so unnecessarily complicated that i begins to wonder if it is washed intentionally to dazzle the dumb-minded, and much information is redundant to give an impression of expertise on the subject. If you are going to waste time, don't waste material it on this one. ...more

Apr 24, 2021 Georgia rated it liked it

Really awesome textile, simply a fleck difficult to read and process at certain times. Might be more of a problem with myself rather than the book, though...

October 23, 2012 Vicki rated it liked it

This book was required reading for a 300-level course I took in the history of U.S. Pop Culture. (It was excellent. If you're interested in the topic, other readings included Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York, The Ability of the Zoot Youth Culture and Resistance during World War Ii, and Goths Gamers and Grrrls Deviance and Youth Subcultures – all of which I recommend.)

3.five/5

I think cultural studies are condign increasingly important (and being taken far more seriously than

This book was required reading for a 300-level class I took in the history of U.Due south. Pop Civilization. (It was fantabulous. If yous're interested in the topic, other readings included Working Women and Leisure in Plow-of-the-Century New York, The Power of the Zoot Youth Culture and Resistance during Earth War Ii, and Goths Gamers and Grrrls Deviance and Youth Subcultures – all of which I recommend.)

3.five/5

I recollect cultural studies are becoming increasingly important (and being taken far more seriously than they used to) in the academic world these days. Merely studying culture is a glace endeavor. There are political records and economical records, just "cultural" records are a nebulous thing. You tin glean what you will from population statistics, (in fact, recorded numbers of people doing something is probably one of the best ways to become a sense of mass culture), just culture is far more abstract than a list of known New York governors. Which is why, some might argue, an unfair emphasis on political and economic forces backside history has rendered the historical record frightfully 1-sided—like a one legged-man. Merely what can historians practice when empirical information reveals lilliputian nigh the behaviors and ideas of a culture? Culture is non so quantifiable. It's in the minds of the mutual people, and when they dice, they accept all they've seen and known with them. Poof goes the past. Even with cultural studies coming to the forefront of academia, history is still that sad i-legged-homo, who maybe has managed to get himself a peg leg, because all history is interpretation.

Reed covers vast territory here, starting in the 50s with the Civil Rights motion, and going through the beginning of the 21st century. Each distinct motion has its own affiliate, only in stringing these movements together, he makes hitting claims about the nature of movements in full general: Movements are the consequence of rigorous organization and daily planning done at the local level; influences, both practical and creative, build on each other from movement to move, creating an interrelationship between all movements; because of this, culture is damn important to history.

I enjoyed the style he discussed artistic expression, specially the portion on Chicano murals, and how movements are sites for the product and reception of art forms, which have in plow continually reshaped U.South. culture—feminists and verse, civil rights and liberty songs, Human activity UP and graphic design. Instead of trudging to metropolis hall and dusting off those bland statistical records, nosotros should be looking to these colorful artistic endeavors as primary sources. Well, not "instead of," simply in conjunction with.

There were a couple of elements that fabricated his critique unwieldy. The whole crux of his argument implies that movements from different decades, with dissimilar goals, and members from a range of racial and economic backgrounds, are comparable and interconnected. Too that civilization has the ability to form a powerful national consciousness which tin affect life-altering political and social change. These are assumptions, which don't make them invalid, it just makes them assumptions. And then take that for what you will.

Other overarching problems may include the structure of the book and the specificity of his choices. Though he articulates the reason for choosing each movement and their cultural artifacts fairly well in the introduction, a hostile reader may detect that "fine art" is not a big enough umbrella to crowd nine different movements nether. Readers may also accuse him of homogenization, thinking that his comparison music and graphic art, for case, is like comparing apples to oranges; something may be lost in attempting to cover so many dissimilar art forms in i volume. The aforementioned may also be said of ethnic groups. Also, readers hoping for more than historical testify (also the art itself) of cultural impact may at times find his argument as well abstract and reaching.

This book is dense, and it didn't always hold my attention, but I found his overall statement convincing and his choices intriguing. He says in the introduction, "This is the kickoff book of comparative movement analysis to focus on the cultural dimension of movements." I will accept him at his word, in which case The Art of Protest certainly contributes to the field for being highly ambitious, informative and the first of its kind.

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