A Voice but No Power: Organizing for Social Justice in Minneapolis

by David Forrest

Overview

Examining the work of social justice groups in Minneapolis following the 2008 recession

Since the Great Recession, even as protest and rebellion have occurred with growing frequency, many social justice organizers continue to displace as much as empower popular struggles for egalitarian and emancipatory change. In A Voice but No Power, David Forrest explains why this is the case and explores how these organizers might better reach their potential as advocates for the abolition of exploitation, discrimination, and other unjust conditions.

Through an in-depth study of post-2008 Minneapolis—a center of progressive activism—Forrest argues that social justice organizers so often fall short of their potential largely because of challenges they face in building what he calls “contentious identities,” the public identities they use to represent their constituents and counteract stigmatizing images such as the “welfare queen” or “the underclass.” In the process of assembling, publicizing, and legitimating contentious identities, he shows, these organizers encounter a series of political hazards, each of which pushes them to make choices that weaken movements for equality and freedom. Forrest demonstrates that organizers can achieve better outcomes, however, by steadily working to remake their hazardous political terrain.

The book’s conclusion reflects on the 2020 uprising that followed the police killing of George Floyd, assessing what it means for the future of social justice activism. Ultimately, Forrest’s detailed analysis contributes to leading theories about organizing and social movements and charts possibilities for further emboldening grassroots struggles for a fairer society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452967882
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

David Forrest is assistant professor of politics at Oberlin College. He has published in Polity, PS: Political Science & Politics, and Qualitative Sociology, among others.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Social Justice Organizations and the Struggle to Abolish Oppression 13

2 Neoliberalism in a Progressive City 39

3 The Political Hazards of Contentious Identity-Building 67

4 Organizing for Moderation 93

5 Misleading the Public 141

6 Seeking Legitimacy without Mobilization 185

Conclusion After George Floyd 215

Acknowledgments 223

Appendix Research Methods 227

Notes 235

Bibliography 261

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

"In a much-needed update to Piven and Cloward's classic Poor People's Movements, David Forrest has given us a stirring and challenging analysis of the slippery politics social justice organizations must pursue in order to achieve real change. Grounded in three rich case studies on education, housing, and welfare rights that played out in the cauldron of Minneapolis's racial politics in the years before the police killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests, A Voice but No Power is a major contribution to the scholarly literature and an inspiration to all who seek social justice."—Sanford Schram, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center

"In the face of the weakening hold of the neoliberal capitalist order, as competing egalitarian and deeply regressive forces vie for power, this is exactly the kind of book we need. David Forrest’s theoretically informed, deeply researched activist scholarship on three post-Great Recession urban social movements in Minneapolis provides a solid foundation for his chief, crucially important lesson for progressive social movements: we only make advances by fighting uncompromisingly for the world we want and need."—John Arena, author of Driven from New Orleans: How Nonprofits Betray Public Housing and Promote Privatization

"Forrest’s fresh take on social justice organizing is a must-read volume for academics of social movements and organizers alike."—CHOICE

 

"A Voice but No Power is an important contribution to movement theory and institutional analysis of social justice organizations. Forrest offers poignant insights on how market supremacy permeates movements and why organizational identities, and the ways activists leverage them, are essential for building a more equitable and free society."—Mobilization

 

From the Publisher