Given the centrality of economics and communication in the Occupy movement, Understanding Occupy from Wall Street to Portland uses economic insights and contemporary theories of communication to better understand the movement at this current juncture in history. This collection is organized by complementary theoretical and methodological perspectives: the global-critical cultural and economic understandings of Occupy; the local-interpretive ethnographic examinations of a local site-Occupy Portland, Oregon; and mediated perspectives-analyses of the words of officials and media. The contributors also examine social movement phenomena by stepping outside of social movement theory to analyze the macro- and microprocesses of the Occupy movement, demonstrating the saliency of communication theory. Throughout the volume are in-depth case studies that examine universal narratives about Occupy. One of the challenges of studying Occupy is that members of this movement are committed to not allowing any one person (or entity) to define it. One way the editors acknowledge this and attempt to honor the individualism and postmodern fragmentation of this movement is to consider their findings in light of the three interpretive lenses of the romantic, functional, and critical. This informative and comprehensive text provides a critical lens on the constantly evolving Occupy movement.
Foreword David Osborn Introduction: Engaging Occupy: An Introduction to Romantic, Practical, and Critical Perspectives Renee Guarriello Heath and C. Vail Fletcher Part 1: Situating Occupy Globally: the Cultural and Economic Context Chapter 1: A Genealogy of Occupy within Transnational Contexts, and Communication Research Priya Kapoor Chapter 2: We are the 99 percent: Occupy and the Economics of Discontent William Barnes Chapter 3: Neofuedalism and the Financial Crisis: Implications for Occupy Wall Street Majia Holmer Nadesan Part 2: Local Interpretations of Occupy Portland Chapter 4: Confessional Tales from the Field: Owning Researcher Methods and Positionality Renee Guarriello Heath, Ricardo V. Munoz, and C. Vail Fletcher Chapter 5: Finding the Space Between: Participative Democracy, Consensus Decision-Making and a Leaderful/less Movement Renee Guarriello Heath Chapter 6: Globalization from Below: Discourses of Horizontalism, Direct Action, and Violence Ricardo V. Munoz Chapter 7: (De) Colonization and Collective Identity: Intersections and Negotiations of Gender, Race, and Class in Occupy C. Vail Fletcher Part 3: Re(presentations) and Revelations: Occupy Mediated Chapter 8: Violence, Bias, or Fair Journalism? Understanding Portland Media Coverage of an Episodic Protest Jennette Lovejoy and Keeler Brynteson Chapter 9: An "Official" Account: Delivering Occupy Portland's Eviction Notice erin daina mcclellan Chapter 10: Interconnected Discontent: Social Media and Social Capital in the Occupy Movement Doug Tewksbury
