Dr Mete Uysal (Exeter): Reconceptualise the "radical" in social movements School of Psychology and Neuroscience Friday seminar series

The School of Psychology and Neuroscience seminar series presents a talk by Dr Mete Uysal (Exeter) titled ‘Reconceptualise the “radical” in social movements through risk perceptions, repression, legitimacy, and efficacy', which will be hosted by Dr Yasemin Acar in the Old Library and accessible online through MS Teams.

Abstract:
Collective action research in social psychology highly relies on a morally and politically loaded dichotomy of “normative/moderate vs. non-normative/radical”. In this presentation, I will first introduce a new conceptualisation of collective action strategies through “confrontational collective action” to a) reduce conceptual ambiguity, b) avoid the assumptions and conflations inherent in the normative vs. non-normative distinction, c) acknowledge the potential interdependence and fluidity between these strategies within the broader repertoire of collective action. Second, I will discuss the role of existential and political risk perceptions that may explain the transitions between different collective action strategies in the context of the climate movement in Germany. Finally, I will discuss and challenge the “nothing-to-lose hypothesis” by presenting my findings on the role of political trust, perceived repression, legitimacy, and efficacy in various social movements (e.g., the Kurdish movement in Turkey, the Scottish Independence Movement etc.).