Togetherness in an Age of Separation
Photograph by Teemu Paananen.
There is no denying the value of in-person gatherings. Our favor for this sort of interaction is by no means new––it’s as old as us. Evolutionary psychologists speculate that early humans moved “rhythmically” together as a way to connect and communicate with one another. A phenomenon termed by French sociologist Émile Durkheim as "collective effervescence" describes a sense of energy or euphoria that vibrates through humans as they share an experience. The human connection just doesn’t get any better than face-to-face. Protests and parties are similar this way.
In 2019, millions of people across the world joined street protests making the year a particularly visible and revolutionary year for social movements. The pandemic put a stop to it—for a couple of months. Still, the past year and months have been the most physically and arguably ideologically apart we’ve been in our lifetimes. There are hopes the distance will soon close physically. One thing is for sure: we are better together than apart.
For liberationists, the ongoing global health crisis of COVID-19 has not only dramatically underscored the underlying crisis of capitalism—the sickness of which COVID-19’s spread, death toll, vaccine apartheid, and economic downturn is a symptom—it also presented unprecedented problems to the modus operandi of grassroots movement efforts by restricting traditional efforts—protests that garner media attention—that could absorb and mobilize the influx of anti-racist, anti-capitalist radicalization happening among many young people. While the pandemic didn’t stop last summer’s uprising, it generally monopolized news coverage and forced a lot of normally in-person recruitment and educational efforts, meetings, actions, and events to go virtual if not canceling them entirely.
Moving the majority of grassroots activity online helped liberatory movements weather the restrictions on gathering. Still, the shift towards online has drawbacks. Although many of us had no other choice but to adapt to working and socializing remotely, it was and still is challenging. On an individual level: ‘
virtual burnout is real
getting anyone to attend voluntary, regular Zoom meetings is easier said than done.
On a collective level, movements tactically benefit from the imagery and media coverage of large physical gatherings and can be more easily overlooked without it. Plus, a key motivating factor of joining a movement or protest is the opportunity to connect socially and share a direct experience with your people a.k.a comrades.
At the heart of any revolutionary struggle is togetherness.
As vaccines are made widely available in the U.S., we are seeing a swift return to gatherings. At local organizations like Sunrise Movement D.C, youth organizers are not only mobilizing for more street actions but are revivifying the organization through meet-ups, picnics, outings, and parties. Not only is it refreshing, but these gatherings are crucial. House parties may not immediately register as a kind of praxis when considering how to build a movement. But there are radical principles behind a party, intentionally or not.
“Parties and social gatherings benefit the movement because it helps create a movement within which you can fully enjoy your whole life, and not just do work,” one SMDC organizer told me. “It’s not like I have my ‘fun’ friends that I party with and my movement friends that I do work with. Instead, it's all one and the same and reinforces the idea that part of being in the movement is to embrace the joy of life.”
At the heart of any revolutionary struggle is togetherness. Dean Spade explains this more in his book Mutual Aid: “At our best, social movements create vibrant social networks in which we not only do work in a group, but also have friendships, make art, have sex, mentor and parent kids, feed ourselves and each other, build radical land and housing experiments, and inspire each other about how we can cultivate liberation in all aspects of our lives.”
Parties, like protests, are liberatory praxis. Parties and club scenes have historically been safe spaces for liberationists and marginalized groups. This is particularly true for Black and queer liberation movements. Radical networks, culture, activism, and mutual aid are all born out of these spaces, demonstrating that these social events can be the lifeblood of movements.
Thanks to online efforts, liberation movements worldwide persisted and experienced a revolutionary moment early-pandemic that resulted in months of protests and boosted membership, donations, and attention. A year later, the movement has grown but it’s hard to say that the turn of this decade was a unifying moment.
What is certain? Humans will always desire the extraordinary energy and intimacy of each other, ensuring that the struggle continues to build a world rooted in togetherness.
