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Learning from Conflict: Innovative Approaches to Democratic Decision Making in the Alterglobalization Movement
Author(s) -
Maeckelbergh Marianne
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
transforming anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.325
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 1548-7466
pISSN - 1051-0559
DOI - 10.1111/traa.12001
Subject(s) - constructive , adversarial system , movement (music) , diversity (politics) , conflict resolution research , power (physics) , sociology , decentralization , democracy , process (computing) , conflict resolution , political science , epistemology , law , computer science , social science , politics , aesthetics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , operating system
This article explores the role of conflict in fostering equality within the decision‐making processes of the alterglobalization movement. I argue that movement actors treat conflict as constructive because it helps create “diversity.” Movement actors transform conflict from adversarial to constructive through a continuous process of decentralizing power referred to as “horizontality.” This decentralization of power is achieved through network‐based decision‐making structures that reject unity through agreement in favor of connections between differences. Drawing on over 8 years of ethnographic research into movement decision‐making practices, I argue that these movement practices show that although diversity leads to conflict, adversarial conflict is not caused by this flow of diversity; adversarial conflict arises only when these flows are blocked. Movement practices demonstrate that conflict can be productive if it is given space for expression.