Abstract
The concept of prefigurative politics has re-emerged following recent worldwide uprisings, such as the Occupy movement, to which this concept has been applied. In applying a contemporary analysis to prefigurative politics, we explore the contribution of community-based recovery groups to the recovery movement, a socio-political movement in the fields of mental health and addiction treatment. We argue that collective action in recovery groups is derived from the formation of an opinion-based social identity and results in alternative approaches to unmet needs, creatively addressing these identified needs through the utilisation of personal, social and collective resources within an emerging recovery community. To illustrate our argument, we provide examples of community-based recovery groups and the approaches they use in addressing the identified needs of their recovery community. We conclude with an analysis of what community-based recovery groups and the wider recovery movement can contribute to a contemporary understanding of prefigurative politics.
Highlights
A Recovery MovementWithin both mental health and addiction, there has been an increasing disenchantment with a professionalised, pathology-based and medicalised treatment system (Barrett, Benson, Foster, & Leader, 2014; Smith-Merry, Sturdy, & Freeman, 2010; White, 2000)
The concept of prefigurative politics has re-emerged following recent worldwide uprisings, such as the Occupy movement, to which this concept has been applied
We argue that this form of politics is characteristic of the emerging ‘recovery movement’ in promoting social change that supports people seeking to recover from mental health conditions and addiction
Summary
Within both mental health and addiction, there has been an increasing disenchantment with a professionalised, pathology-based and medicalised treatment system (Barrett, Benson, Foster, & Leader, 2014; Smith-Merry, Sturdy, & Freeman, 2010; White, 2000). The recovery groups explored here are seeking a recovery-supportive alternative that challenges the status quo – one in which solutions are negotiated within their groups and their communities, where the perspective of all group members is valued and, individually and collectively, they are empowered and recognised, and where, through their actions, the community itself is empowered and enriched In these case studies, alternative supports for recovery include broader health-enhancing activities, connected to positive community action through DARE; a drug and alcohol-free social space, as an alternative to “normal” nightlife, at the Serenity Café; and a legitimate path to higher education and alternative knowledge production through recovery colleges
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