Creative Activisms
Deadline for submission: 20th January 2004

Given the flagrant disregard for majority opinion over the war in Iraq displayed by countries claiming to be democratic, the question of what activists can do to effect actual changes has gathered a real urgency. Why do we all feel so voiceless, not only over Iraq but with respect to other issues, and what can we do about it? Such questions need to be asked clearly and loudly, but they also demand always contingent, always strategic, but always very real and pragmatic answers. We hope you can provide the beginnings of such answers.

Situation Analysis asks, then, in its fourth issue: what are the most effective modes of protest today in the context of globalization? what forms of activism (for which we may feel a certain nostalgia) are nonetheless impotent at the present conjuncture? must we protest by marching under banners, or are there subtler, and perhaps more effective, methods? what about less obvious forms of activism such as the satirical, comic, polemic, journalistic, academic, literary, and artistic? what about the role of the visual, as evidenced by TV news, posters, graffiti, and cartoons? what do theoretical paradigms really offer us when it comes to activisms? can theoretical discourse initiate radical change or does it require the visible outcome of protest? should protest be conducted via official protocols of representation, enabling small but real gains, or is something more anarchic called for, such as civil disobedience? and is protest an 'arm' of democracy, or a sign of its failure?

This issue of Situation Analysis is conceived as a forum for both sharing positive experiences of activism, thereby testifying to the solidarity among activists across various causes, but also for asking the most pertinent, pressing, and potentially unpleasant questions of activism, starting with the most basic: does it actually work?

We seek contributions around these themes of between two and five thousand words in length, although shorter pieces will certainly be considered. For more detailed information about submission requirements, please feel free to contact the editors (editorial@situationanalysis.com), or consult our website where you will also find previous issues of the journal.