Wonderbringers Newsletter with Monica Parker
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Hello Wonderseekers!
There is a special feeling in the air in spring. The winter malaise that makes change feel impossible—be it personal, societal or culture change— gets buoyed a bit by nature's warm nudging, and making a positive change starts to feel possible again.
I’ve been reading some research recently by Erica Chenoweth, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, about the dynamics of enacting seemingly impossible societal change. Chenoweth has studied hundreds of examples of civil resistance and protest across the world, and she has found consistent qualities in those that are successful.
To start, these protests are nonviolent. Of course, nonviolence is the moral and ethical path, and one that resonates when we consider icons of civil resistance like MLK, Jr, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, but it is also the most effective. In fact, Chenoweth’s research found that nonviolent protests are twice as effective as violent ones, with movements we are all familiar with, like the Civil Rights movement or the Arab Spring, as examples.
Another surprising finding of her research was that it typically only takes 3.5% of a population to protest in this way to enact change. 3.5% seems like an incredibly small number, but according to Chenoweth, that is enough of a critical mass to either get governments to change course or to simply disintegrate under the pressure. To give you an idea, for the US, that would be about 12 million people.
Social media and digital surveillance are making it harder to get that critical mass, but how does one get the momentum to reach the magic number of 3.5%? Chenoweth shares four key elements of a successful movement:
A large and diverse group of participants (young, old, disabled, all levels of society) who are able to sustain action over time.
The ability to convince segments of the ruling elite to change their position.
Creativity, imagination and humour to resist in ways that catch attention. (An example? In Morocco, it was illegal to fly the dissident Western Sahara flag. Rather than engage in typical civil disobedience, they gathered the large feral cat community together and released them en masse — with the Western Sahara flag tied to their tails! Leaving the government to ‘either chase cats around the alleyways or let the flag fly. It’s humiliating.’)
The discipline to face repression without giving up or resorting to violence.
I think Chenoweth’s research could be applied to so many areas of our lives that need changing. Distilled down, these would translate to:
Coalition building
Gaining buy-in from top influencers
Creative and compelling storytelling
Resilient tenacity.
So, rather than toppling a dictator, it’s convincing your boss that you can effectively work from home. Or it’s getting your family to adopt new ground rules in the group chat.
Can you see ways you could apply these in your life? What big or small thing(s) are you going to change?
Some wonderbringers for me this week:
Long read: How to stop a power grab: Drawing lessons from the study of civil resistance.
Watch: Erica Chenoweth at TEDx Boulder: The success of nonviolent civil resistance.
Why our brains crave ideology: A neuroscientist reveals how to nurture authentic and flexible thinking.
I hope the spring sun is inspiring you like it is me! Share with me some spring wonders that have you captivated.
With wonder,
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