| Popis: |
This dissertation proposes a broader theory of refigurative action, as well as outlines the conditions under which such action is more likely to occur. A synthesis of literatures on the Polanyian double movement, the pragmatist theory of action, utopian action, and social movement theory, highlights that, when social change is rapid, culturally destructive, and appears to eliminate autonomy, people may attempt to re-create the past as a form of protest; refigurative action. A case study of the Farmers’ Holiday Association protests of the 1930s Midwestern U.S. illustrates this theory. After an in-depth review of the social changes that Midwestern agricultural communities endured between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, and the way that these changes are reflected in popular protest forms, I compare the motivations, and popular reception, of two different Holiday protest tactics: militant blockades of cities to raise prices and the fixing of public auctions in an attempt to help farmers retain their land. Brief comparisons with the 1980s Farm Crisis and the 1990s/2000s German Ostalgie movement illustrate the importance of rapid, culturally destructive social change that eliminates a sense of autonomy in making refigurative action more likely |
