Activism

COPOut Episode 1: Platforming Activism
In the inaugural episode of the COPOut Podcast, Dr. Dana R. Fisher talks with climate leaders about how to platform activism and empower civil society in the struggle to address the climate crisis. Tune in to hear from Ingmar Rentzhog from We Don’t Have Time, Jamie Minden from This Is Zero Hour, and Magnolia Mead […]
[Article] What’s radical? Comparing how climate activists and the general public perceive social [...]
A team from CECE has published a paper in Environmental Research Letters that compares perspectives about social movement tactics between climate activists and the general public. Read the abstract below and and Click here to read the article. As the climate crisis worsens, activists have employed a wide range of tactics to draw attention to […]
CECE Team Surveys NoKings Day 2.0 Participants in Washington D.C.
On October 18th, a coalition of left-leaning political groups coordinated a second national day-of-action to declare that the US has no kings. Almost 3,000 events took place across the US during NoKings Day 2.0 with early estimates predicting that over 5 million people had joined the day of action in the US (with many more […]
Tracking Activism and Resistance at the No Kings Day of Action
Over the past 6 months, protesters have flooded the streets across the country to voice their concerns about the Trump Administration and its policies. Multiple large-scale, coordinated days of action organized by groups such as Indivisible and more informal networks like 50501 movement have taken place. The most recent day of action was called No […]
Event Recap: Maternal & Child Health in a Dangerous Climate
Moms Clean Air Force, EcoMadres, and The 19th hosted “Maternal & Child Health in a Dangerous Climate,” a forum addressing the link between environmental hazards and maternal health disparities for women of color. Experts highlighted how air pollution, extreme heat, and toxic plastic exposure are not just environmental issues but direct threats to maternal and […]
CECE Researchers Survey Rallies as Action Grows Around the Country
As demonstrations have become more commonplace in Washington, DC, CECE has deployed teams of researchers to many of the larger rallies to document trends in activism and civic engagement. To date, we have collected data at the People’s March in January, the Stand Up for Science Rally in March, and the HandsOff Rally in April. […]
[Recap] CECE Colloquium Series – Activism and Social Movements
On Monday, March 31st CECE’s Director Dana Fisher was joined by SOC’s Rosalind Donald for the final CECE colloquium of the semester. Fisher and Donald focused the discussion on their work related to activism and social movements. Fisher presented on her newest research, which focuses on protests. She is particularly interested in what factors are driving people to protests […]
CECE Director talks activism and social movements on Factually!
Dr. Dana Fisher, CECE Director, returned to Factually! to talk with Adam Conover about how to resist in the current moment and build the kind of movements that we need to protect our democracy. Click here to watch the full episode. You can listen here or on other podcast platforms. To find out more about […]
The People’s March 2025: Surveying Protesters in Resistance 2.0
CECE Director and SIS Professor, Dr. Dana R. Fisher, along with a research team of 8 AU-affiliated researchers and students, attended the People’s March in Washington, DC on 1/18/2025 to survey participants. The March was organized as a legally permitted peaceful demonstration on the Saturday before the inauguration of Donald Trump. Data were collected as […]
[Article] Why climate activists are becoming more radicalized (and why that’s not a bad thing)
CECE Director, Dana R. Fisher, recently published an Opinion piece in The Hill (co-authored with Professor Hajar Yazdiha from USC). In the OpEd, they write about the radicalization of climate activism and what the climate movement can learn from the Civil Rights Movement. Click here for the full article.
[Recap] Steven Donziger: From Climate Lawyer to Corporate Political Prisoner
On Wednesday, November 20th CECE and WCL’s Program on Environmental and Energy Law hosted Steven Donziger for a conversation of his life as a human rights lawyer turned corporate political prisoner. The conversation between Steven Donziger and CECE Director, Dr. Dana R. Fisher, began with a short intro video describing his legal battles with Chevron. […]
CECE Director, Dana R. Fisher, gives a TED Talk
In October 2024, Dr. Dana R. Fisher, gave a TED talk on how to be an “Apocalytic Optimist”, which presents her findings about what it will really take to get us to the other side of the climate crisis based on her latest book, Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action. Check it out […]