ARTS2871 Chap.8 Agency, Resistance and Social Change
Agency, Resistance and Social Change
Agency is action within a field of power, not a state of being completely outside constraint. Some actions directly oppose a demand, others rework a norm from within, and still others reproduce the order they appear to challenge. Intention alone cannot settle whether an act is resistant.
Analysis must identify the target, mechanism, audience, scale and durable consequence, while allowing symbolic disruption and institutional change to point in different directions.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Agency as situated capacity rather than pure freedom
- 02
Resistance through direct opposition or refusal
- 03
Reworking norms through altered repetition
- 04
Reproduction of power inside apparently resistant action
- 05
Scale, audience and duration as tests of consequence
- 06
Collective capacity as a bridge from symbolic act to social change
Worked example · free
A workplace visibility campaign
- 1Marks shown in this rehearsal do not form a University assessment scheme. Name the norm being exposed and the tactic used to alter its repetition.
- 1Identify the audience and symbolic disruption.
- 1Explain how management recodes the action and reproduces control.
- 1Judge which collective or institutional capacity survives.
Key terms
- Agency
- Agency is the situated capacity to act within social relations, meanings, resources and risks.
- Resistance
- Resistance is action that opposes, redirects or undermines a relation, demand or norm of power.
- Reproduction
- Reproduction is the continuation of a social relation through repeated practices, including practices intended to challenge it.
- Subversion
- Subversion alters a practice from within so its normal meaning or operation becomes unstable.
- Collective Capacity
- Collective capacity is an organised ability to coordinate action and sustain influence beyond an isolated event.
Agency, Resistance and Social Change FAQ
Is every act of non-compliance resistance?
No. Non-compliance may result from error, individual avoidance or a tactic that leaves the power relation untouched. Identify the target, meaning and consequence of the act. Resistance becomes more persuasive when it disrupts a mechanism, builds capacity or changes what actors can do, not merely when it violates a rule.
Can resistance reproduce power at the same time?
Yes. A campaign can challenge a norm while using categories or platforms controlled by the institution it opposes. The action may broaden visibility yet be appropriated as evidence of institutional openness. Analyse both effects and decide which is more durable or consequential rather than forcing a pure label.
Why does intention not settle whether action is resistant?
Intention explains what actors sought, but social effects depend on audiences, institutions, resources and responses. A well-intended act can strengthen a dominant frame, while an ordinary practice can create unexpected collective capacity. Compare intended meaning with observable changes in rules, relationships and resources.
How do I show that symbolic action matters?
Trace how the symbol changes interpretation, connects participants or creates a platform for later action. Do not dismiss symbolism because it is not immediately redistributive, but do not claim transformation without a pathway to durable capacity. Scale, duration and institutional response help decide its significance.
Assessment move
For each resistance case, make three entries: what the action opposes, what it reworks and what it may reproduce. Add the actor's resources and risks so agency remains situated. Evaluate effects at more than one scale, because a campaign can empower participants while being absorbed by an organisation or ignored by a wider public.
Practise counterfactuals in which repression unexpectedly strengthens collective organisation or institutional tolerance drains a tactic of force. For debate preparation, build the strongest interpretation on each side before choosing your conclusion. In written applications, avoid equating visibility with transformation. Name the rule, resource, relationship or interpretive habit that actually changed.
Finish with evidence that would shift the balance between disruption and reproduction. This two-sided conclusion demonstrates why agency cannot be reduced to either complete freedom or complete determination. Construct a before-and-after mechanism table for a protest, boycott or institutional campaign. Compare decision access, resources, public meaning and participant capacity before the tactic and after the response.
Record effects at the personal, organisational and structural scales rather than collapsing them into success. Then imagine both repression and accommodation, tracing how each could strengthen or weaken future action. This exercise makes unintended consequences visible and stops dramatic visibility from serving as a substitute for evidence of transformation.