Reformers, Reactionaries and Reinvention

Activist groups have traditionally relied on the mechanisms of liberal democracy to influence decisions. Some are now asking whether this is enough. While the more established groups become professionalised and potentially coopted through their close relationships with government and industry, the reinvention and revitalisation at the fringes of these movements are expressed through culture jamming, cyber activism and other creative tactics. This paper provides a brief exploration and examples of each of these social movement tendencies. Presented at the ‘New forms of activism’ seminar @ UTS, 12 March 2004.