This way, I also count as constructive resistance initiatives that remain small and do not advance beyond exemplifying an alternative or providing inspiration for others. Creating alternatives can be resistance without having to facilitate anything that looks like more traditional or well-known forms of resistance. Secondly, I think it is an unnecessary limitation to speak about the construction as something that “facilitates” resistance as others have suggested. The definition suggested here does not include anything about “institutions” in the definition, making it possible to include unorganized and individual acts as constructive resistance. This said, not everything that can be included in the definition of constructive resistance is equally interesting for academics and practitioners focused on radical social change. If one generally has a broad concept of resistance, then it also follows logically that the concept of constructive resistance should be broad. I embrace an inclusive definition of resistance and want to emphasize that constructive resistance happens along a continuum and can change significantly over time, making it difficult to judge when something has become “enough resistance” to be included. In order to be open-minded towards the phenomenon of constructive resistance, this definition is deliberately rather generous towards what can be considered both resistance and construction. Constructive resistance does not exclude conventional forms for protests, boycotts and civil disobedience, but focuses on creating, building, carrying out and experimenting with what is considered desirable. The constructive element can be either concrete or symbolic, and ranges from initiatives that aim to inspire others to actions that partly replace or lead to the collapse of the dominant way of behaving and thinking. These structures of power can be the state, corporate power or patriarchy, but is not limited to these. Resistance can be either an implicit or explicitly outspoken critique of structures of power upholding the status quo. In order to be considered “constructive resistance,” they necessarily have to be both constructive and provide a form of resistance, but there is a huge variety within both concepts. They can act alone, but usually constructive resistance is carried out by groups. I suggest a broad definition which says that constructive resistance occurs when people start to build the society they desire independently of structures of power. However, I have settled on an approach that focuses on the two elements of “construction” and “resistance.” Other possible approaches are whether the alternatives are legal or not, or to what degree people themselves frame their alternatives as resistance. It covers areas regarding the fulfillment of basic needs, communication, economic concerns and decision making structures. Constructive resistance can be carried out by many actors, from individuals, small associations and local communities to national organizations or organized global networks. It is possible to study constructive resistance from many different perspectives, such as the level of organization behind them or the areas they cover. In the anarchist and Marxists traditions and social movement literature, a related notion is prefigurative politics. Within peace and conflict studies, this has been approached through Gandhi’s concept of the constructive program. These are initiatives that not only criticize, protest, object, and undermine what is considered undesirable and wrong, but also simultaneously acquire, create, built, cultivate and experiment with what people need in the present moment - or what they would like to see replacing dominant structures or power relations. An overall term for these efforts is “constructive resistance,” which covers initiatives in which people start to build the society they desire independently of the dominant structures already in place. Some modes of resistance build and experiment with alternatives to the present in various forms, from the small to the large, the hidden to the open. People living in systems of domination and exploitation resist in many different ways. This review originally appeared in the “Journal of Resistance Studies.” For more book reviews and peer reviewed articles, subscribe to the journal.
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