The Occupy Movement, Religion and Social Formations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v43i1.17Keywords:
Occupy Movement, discourse, religion, social formation, Idle No MoreAbstract
The Occupy movement was an unprecedented social formation that spread to approximate 82 countries around the globe in the fall of 2011 via social media through the use of myths, symbols and rituals that were performed in public space and quickly drew widespread mainstream attention. In this paper I argue that the movement offers a unique instance of how discourse functions in the construction of society and I show how the shared discourses of Occupy were taken-up and shaped in relation to the political opportunity structures and interests of those involved based on my own fieldwork at Occupy Winnipeg. I also argue that the Occupy movement provides an example of how we might substantively attempt to classify “religion” by looking at how it embodied certain metaphysical claims while contrasting it with the beliefs and practices of more conventionally defined “religious” communities.
References
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Brodbeck, Tom. “Hard to take Occupy Winnipeg Seriously,” The Winnipeg Sun, October 17, 2011.
Bucko, Adam and Matthew Fox. 2013. Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation (Sacred Activism). Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.
Byrne, Janet, ed. 2012. The Occupy Handbook. New York: Back Bay Books.
Castells, Manual. 2012. Network of Outrage and Hope: Social Movement in the Internet Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Chomsky, Noam. 2012. Occupy. Brooklyn: Open Media Pamphlet Series/Zuccotti Park Press.
Dorfman, Ariel. 2012. “In the Footsteps of Salvador Allende: Chile and the Occupy Movement.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne. New York: Back Bay Books.
Editorial. “Hey Occupy—Stay Home,” The Winnipeg Sun, May 11, 2012.
Gitlin, Todd. 2012. Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit, and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Graeber, David. 2011. “Enacting the Impossible: Making Decisions by Consensus.” In This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, edited by Sara van Gelder. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Haidt, Jonathan. 2012. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books.
Juschka, Darlene. 2009. Political Bodies/Body Politic: The Semiotics of Gender. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing.
Khatib, Kate, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire. 2012. Introduction to We Are Many: Reflections on Movement Strategy from Occupation to Liberation, edited by Kate Khatib, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire. Oakland, CA: AK Press.
Kroll, David. 2011. “How Occupy Wall Street Really Got Started.” In This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, edited by Sara van Gelder, 16-21. Oakland: AK Press.
Lincoln, Bruce. 1989. Discourse and the Construction of Society: Comparative Studies of Myth, Ritual, and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press, 103-127.
Mack, Burton. 2008. Myth and the Christian Nation: A Social Theory of Religion. London, UK: Equinox Publishing.
McLean, Bethany. 2012. “Your House as an ATM: The Myth of Homeownership.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 85-99. New York: Back Bay Books.
Owen, Suzanne. 2008. The Appropriation of Native American Spirituality. London: Continuum.
Prashad, Vijay. 2012. Arab Spring, Libyan Winter. Edinburgh, UK. AK Press.
Puig, Salvador Martí. 2012. “15M: The Indignados.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 209–17. New York: Back Bay Books.
Riesebrodt, Martin. 2012. The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Rieger, Joerg, and Kwok Pui-lan. 2012. Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Scherer, Michael. “Introduction: Taking it to the Streets.” In What is Occupy? New York: Time Books.
Schilbrack, Kevin. 2013. “After We Deconstruct ‘Religion,’ Then What? A Case for Critical Realism.” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 25: 107–12.
———. 2013a. “What Isn’t Religion?” The Journal of Religion, Vol. 93, No 3 (July), 291-318.
Schneider, Nathan. 2013. Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse. Los Angles: University of California Press.
Seligman, Adam, Robert P. Weller, Michael J. Puett, and Bennett Simon. 2008. Ritual and its Consequences: An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sitrin, Marina and Dario Azzellini. 2012. Occupying Language: The Secret Rendezvous with History and the Present. Brooklyn: Open Media Pamphlet Series/Zuccotti Park Press.
Smith, Jonathan Z. 1982. “Sacred Persistence: Toward a Redescription of Canon.” In Imagining Religion: From Babylon to Jonestown, 36–52. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Taylor, Astra, Keith Gessen, eds. 2011 Scenes from Occupied America. London Verso.
Tharoor, Ishaan. 2012. “Hands Across the World.” In What is Occupy?, 25-33. New York: Time Books.
Tremlett, Paul-François. 2012. “Occupied Territory at the Interstices of the Sacred: Between Capital and Community.” Religion and Society: Advances in Research 3, 130-141.
White, Michelle J. and Wenli Li. 2012. “How Bankruptcy Contributed to the Mortgage Crisis and How It Could Help the Economy Recover.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 456–61. New York: Back Bay Books.
Writers for the 99%. 2012. Occupying Wall Street: The Inside Story of an Action that Changed America. New York: OR Books.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2012. The Year of Dreaming Dangerously. New York: Verso.
Brodbeck, Tom. “Hard to take Occupy Winnipeg Seriously,” The Winnipeg Sun, October 17, 2011.
Bucko, Adam and Matthew Fox. 2013. Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation (Sacred Activism). Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.
Byrne, Janet, ed. 2012. The Occupy Handbook. New York: Back Bay Books.
Castells, Manual. 2012. Network of Outrage and Hope: Social Movement in the Internet Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Chomsky, Noam. 2012. Occupy. Brooklyn: Open Media Pamphlet Series/Zuccotti Park Press.
Dorfman, Ariel. 2012. “In the Footsteps of Salvador Allende: Chile and the Occupy Movement.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne. New York: Back Bay Books.
Editorial. “Hey Occupy—Stay Home,” The Winnipeg Sun, May 11, 2012.
Gitlin, Todd. 2012. Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit, and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Graeber, David. 2011. “Enacting the Impossible: Making Decisions by Consensus.” In This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, edited by Sara van Gelder. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Haidt, Jonathan. 2012. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books.
Juschka, Darlene. 2009. Political Bodies/Body Politic: The Semiotics of Gender. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing.
Khatib, Kate, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire. 2012. Introduction to We Are Many: Reflections on Movement Strategy from Occupation to Liberation, edited by Kate Khatib, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire. Oakland, CA: AK Press.
Kroll, David. 2011. “How Occupy Wall Street Really Got Started.” In This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, edited by Sara van Gelder, 16-21. Oakland: AK Press.
Lincoln, Bruce. 1989. Discourse and the Construction of Society: Comparative Studies of Myth, Ritual, and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press, 103-127.
Mack, Burton. 2008. Myth and the Christian Nation: A Social Theory of Religion. London, UK: Equinox Publishing.
McLean, Bethany. 2012. “Your House as an ATM: The Myth of Homeownership.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 85-99. New York: Back Bay Books.
Owen, Suzanne. 2008. The Appropriation of Native American Spirituality. London: Continuum.
Prashad, Vijay. 2012. Arab Spring, Libyan Winter. Edinburgh, UK. AK Press.
Puig, Salvador Martí. 2012. “15M: The Indignados.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 209–17. New York: Back Bay Books.
Riesebrodt, Martin. 2012. The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Rieger, Joerg, and Kwok Pui-lan. 2012. Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Scherer, Michael. “Introduction: Taking it to the Streets.” In What is Occupy? New York: Time Books.
Schilbrack, Kevin. 2013. “After We Deconstruct ‘Religion,’ Then What? A Case for Critical Realism.” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 25: 107–12.
———. 2013a. “What Isn’t Religion?” The Journal of Religion, Vol. 93, No 3 (July), 291-318.
Schneider, Nathan. 2013. Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse. Los Angles: University of California Press.
Seligman, Adam, Robert P. Weller, Michael J. Puett, and Bennett Simon. 2008. Ritual and its Consequences: An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sitrin, Marina and Dario Azzellini. 2012. Occupying Language: The Secret Rendezvous with History and the Present. Brooklyn: Open Media Pamphlet Series/Zuccotti Park Press.
Smith, Jonathan Z. 1982. “Sacred Persistence: Toward a Redescription of Canon.” In Imagining Religion: From Babylon to Jonestown, 36–52. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Taylor, Astra, Keith Gessen, eds. 2011 Scenes from Occupied America. London Verso.
Tharoor, Ishaan. 2012. “Hands Across the World.” In What is Occupy?, 25-33. New York: Time Books.
Tremlett, Paul-François. 2012. “Occupied Territory at the Interstices of the Sacred: Between Capital and Community.” Religion and Society: Advances in Research 3, 130-141.
White, Michelle J. and Wenli Li. 2012. “How Bankruptcy Contributed to the Mortgage Crisis and How It Could Help the Economy Recover.” In The Occupy Handbook, edited by Janet Byrne, 456–61. New York: Back Bay Books.
Writers for the 99%. 2012. Occupying Wall Street: The Inside Story of an Action that Changed America. New York: OR Books.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2012. The Year of Dreaming Dangerously. New York: Verso.
Published
2014-02-14
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Sheedy, M. (2014). The Occupy Movement, Religion and Social Formations. Bulletin for the Study of Religion, 43(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v43i1.17
