On Activism, Friendships, and Fighting

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Conflict and resolution are the lifeblood of social movements. How, and with whom, do we find lasting friendship, support, and joy in a world in need of so much repair?Our social bonds are our collective power. On Activism, Friendships, and Fighting is a book about friendships and social movements that is composed of life stories with activists from a wide array of movements. “There is a hunger for radical history – to give credit to past struggles, to learn from our mistakes and to improve our strategies for the future, ” writes Lesley Wood.  Oral histories trace the stories of these movements. Veteran organizer and social worker Benjamin Heim Shepard, constructs a compelling narrative of how conflict and resolution are the lifeblood of social movements. This book considers strategies, challenges and implications of movement-based oral history projects as well as an oral history of its own tracing a pressing dynamic of movements scholarship: friendship and conflict. The project builds on oral histories with thirty movement organizers—from AIDS, queer, trade union, community, Occupy, and Harm Reduction- based movements—reflecting on the lessons, meanings and future directions of movements and collective organizing efforts. The book comprises three principal sections that go in depth into the reasons and ways the participants became involved in activism, the friendships they formed, and the conflicts they faced. This includes asking questions such as: Where do friendships support or undermine these efforts? What is the nature of conflict?   How can conflicts be resolved?  And where do people find lasting support?