Replace State | How do we change the world when elections and protests fail

Replace State | How to Change the World When Elections Fail Protests A Practical Call to Action Against Repression Around the world, millions of people have participated in protests and marches, donated to political groups, or lobbied their representatives with the goal of creating lasting social change, repealing repressive laws, or reducing environmental destruction. However, very little seems to have improved for those affected by greedy governments. Replacing the State offers new hope for social justice movements by reviewing progressive campaigns that have achieved success through unconventional and more direct means. Sasha Davis, activist and scholar of radical environmental advocacy, focuses on the strategies of movements, many of them indigenous movements, that have occupied contested positions and proven effective in managing or governing them. Through case studies of resistance to development on indigenous lands in Hawaii, nuclear testing in the Nevada desert, and the US military occupation of Okinawa, it provides insights and guidance for activists, students, academics, and others dedicated to protecting and improving the well-being of their communities, and beyond. It can be easy to succumb to pessimism and political apathy in the face of ruling institutions that increasingly ignore calls for change and resort to repression in the face of protests, even as they violate human rights, ignore existential climate catastrophes, and concentrate power in the hands of a few. But Davis finds inspiration for real political change in social movements that succeed in “replacing the state” and taking charge of day-to-day affairs in threatened areas. From addressing environmental abuses to reasserting indigenous sovereignty, these social movements show how people can, collectively, wrest control of their communities from oppressive governments and manage them with a more egalitarian ethic of care.