Nurturing Activism

Abstract

This article will explore evolving thoughts on how the social field can be an effective lens to address relational tensions within activist groups. Gobby (2020) defines relational tensions as the ideological and social tensions that emerge in an activist group due to power inequalities, which are significant internal barriers for these groups to achieve their goals. I will draw on social movement literature and Scharmer’s (2018) concept of social fields to show how the source conditions of the various individuals that make up these groups affect the quality of how they relate to each other, which give birth to practices and results that either align with their values or create conflictual tensions that can hold these groups back. Through a personal case study, I intend to show how, by shifting an activist group's social field towards one that places relationality at the forefront, these groups can improve how they work together and ultimately avoid breaking apart.