Radical Imagination: TAMA. There are many alternatives!

Let’s start with a question: what is activism? Or what is an activist? For most people, one conception comes to mind: somebody who resists. Activism is often used as a synonym to resistance. Activists either resist the status quo, or an upcoming change to the status quo, working towards the ‘better’ option. Movements coming from this perspective often define themselves and their goals in dependence on that which is resisted. Without war, no anti-war movement. I argue, that without an anti-war movement, there is no war. This is a strong claim to make, so lets weaken it a bit: the anti-war movement is contributing by its activities to the existence of war. It is doing so by setting the focus on war, by perpetuating the dominant thinking of the ideology of war. This is all in line of the TINA-doctrine: there is no alternative. It has permeated our minds. Thatcher lives on. When all roads are leading to Rome, it is not enough to change the direction. We need to leave the road. Of course, war and its anti-movement are just one example, but once looking at the names of movements, you can realize that the anti-stance is a wide spread phenomena. What I propose is to shift the focus, naming movements in line with what is desired, the other side_s_ of the coin. Admittedly, some movements are doing that already: there is the peace-movement, there is the right to water movement. Naming the movement is important, but successively, many steps have to follow, in a holistic way, as an overall strategy, even as an general approach to activism. This new approach will lead to, and depart from, a new way of thinking, what I call TAMA: there are many alternatives.

The new approach I shall name: prefigurative activism, or short: preAct. It reminds of minority report’s preCrime, and this is no accident. Resistance always means, that it is reaction, even reactionary to something one or another authority is doing. preAct wants to turn this around: the actors take the power that they have and do something, outside of the vicious circle of resistance. They are the first to do something, and not intentionally in relation to any authorities around. It draws mainly from the concept of prefigurative politics, which primarily focuses on the internal process of protest groups and networks. It means to enact the wished for future society, especially its relations, already in the now. This means for example: horizontal decision making and organising, mutual aid. PreAct looks for the cracks that come up in the capitalist system, filling them, temporarily, with autonomy and creativity. Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZ), or autonomous geographies, many names exist for more or less the same phenomena.

So you say: but some things are so bad, they need to be resisted, they need to be fought against, they need to be stopped. Is this all some kind of hippiesque escapism? No. The focus is shifted, with the main purpose of not getting stuck in TINA. Traditional ‘acts of resistance’ can still happen, but need to be re-framed holistically!

What do I mean by holistic? a) changing the internal processes towards horizontality, inclusion, and empowerment, b) changing spaces towards growing autonomy, c) changing the messages and rhetoric towards positivity, d) change thinking towards radical imagination, e) changing and creating institutions, f) changing emotional spaces towards mutual support, and g) redistributing power and resources. While this list surely is not complete, and while all of the points demand further detailed explanation, I say it all starts with the radical imagination. Do you, fighting against one or another injustice, really believe that it will change? Do you really believe capitalism and patriarchy will be overcome? That is what we need to work on together, in small and bigger groups, because ideas grow in exchange, debate, and difference of opinions, and not in secluded, silent cubbyholes. All else will follow from there. In order to preAct, we need to preImagine. Lets work together towards the many alternatives!

TAMA!