We Are Stronger Than We Think

Summary

Finding the space to reflect and connect is hard when, “like all autocrats, Trump and his oligarchic henchmen are trying to overwhelm, disorient and distract.” Crucial to resisting their efforts is “reclaiming agency in defining the terrain of struggle away from repressive control and towards individual and community empowerment.” There are many examples of this happening around the world, and one thing is clear from these experiences: “building the relational infrastructure for mass mobilisation and noncooperation is critically important”, because “doubling down on training and organising that is accessible for all parts of society to participate in creative nonviolent action, including mass noncooperation, will build strength, solidarity and harness the energy necessary to not only defeat authoritarianism but to reimagine beloved community for the next generation.”

Rationale

Relational infrastructure is among the conditions we say this work needs; she shows what it does under pressure, letting people withdraw their cooperation from those in power.