Social Mobilization of the Underdogs: The Damansara Save Our School Movement in Malaysia
(2012) In Pacific Affairs 85(2). p.313-333- Abstract
- How are social movements of the underdogs sustained and how are constraints of these movements overcome, in particular, constraints imposed by non-liberal democratic states? Utilizing the Damansara Save Our School movement in Malaysia as its case study, this article describes factors that led to the successful resistance of the Damansara New Village community against the closure of its community school, the Damansara Chinese Primary School. Although inexperienced in social movement activities, small in size, financially and socially disadvantaged, the villagers of Damansara New Village successfully sustained their resistance for seven years and eventually procured compromises from the Malaysian authorities, which reopened the school... (More)
- How are social movements of the underdogs sustained and how are constraints of these movements overcome, in particular, constraints imposed by non-liberal democratic states? Utilizing the Damansara Save Our School movement in Malaysia as its case study, this article describes factors that led to the successful resistance of the Damansara New Village community against the closure of its community school, the Damansara Chinese Primary School. Although inexperienced in social movement activities, small in size, financially and socially disadvantaged, the villagers of Damansara New Village successfully sustained their resistance for seven years and eventually procured compromises from the Malaysian authorities, which reopened the school premises in January 2009. Lacking access to democratic institutions in the country, the Damansara Save Our School movement relied on unconventional—yet highly institutionalised— resistance methods to mobilize support and engage in political contention. This article analyzes three components that had led to the movement’s successful endurance: institutionalization of the Save Our School Committee as the main mobilization machinery; formation of a temple school that sustained the functioning of the school, physically and symbolically; and dynamic adaptation of movement repertoires to overcome constraints imposed by the stronger and not so liberal state. For the movement community and supporters alike, the reopening of the school premises in 2009 attests to the miracle of everyday resistance by underdogs in surmounting unjust policies imposed by a powerful state. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4353924
- author
- Ang, Ming Chee LU
- publishing date
- 2012
- type
- Contribution to specialist publication or newspaper
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- unconventional resistance, social movements, non-liberal democratic states, Malaysia, Chinese education, Chinese schools
- categories
- Popular Science
- in
- Pacific Affairs
- volume
- 85
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 313 - 333
- publisher
- Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84930483587
- ISSN
- 1715-3379
- DOI
- 10.5509/2012852313
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- http://dx.doi.org/10.5509/2012852313
- id
- c503fc64-8774-4874-bd15-3a148d8593bf (old id 4353924)
- alternative location
- http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/paaf/paaf/2012/00000085/00000002/art00003
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:00:23
- date last changed
- 2024-01-09 21:45:57
@misc{c503fc64-8774-4874-bd15-3a148d8593bf,
abstract = {{How are social movements of the underdogs sustained and how are constraints of these movements overcome, in particular, constraints imposed by non-liberal democratic states? Utilizing the Damansara Save Our School movement in Malaysia as its case study, this article describes factors that led to the successful resistance of the Damansara New Village community against the closure of its community school, the Damansara Chinese Primary School. Although inexperienced in social movement activities, small in size, financially and socially disadvantaged, the villagers of Damansara New Village successfully sustained their resistance for seven years and eventually procured compromises from the Malaysian authorities, which reopened the school premises in January 2009. Lacking access to democratic institutions in the country, the Damansara Save Our School movement relied on unconventional—yet highly institutionalised— resistance methods to mobilize support and engage in political contention. This article analyzes three components that had led to the movement’s successful endurance: institutionalization of the Save Our School Committee as the main mobilization machinery; formation of a temple school that sustained the functioning of the school, physically and symbolically; and dynamic adaptation of movement repertoires to overcome constraints imposed by the stronger and not so liberal state. For the movement community and supporters alike, the reopening of the school premises in 2009 attests to the miracle of everyday resistance by underdogs in surmounting unjust policies imposed by a powerful state.}},
author = {{Ang, Ming Chee}},
issn = {{1715-3379}},
keywords = {{unconventional resistance; social movements; non-liberal democratic states; Malaysia; Chinese education; Chinese schools}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{313--333}},
publisher = {{Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia}},
series = {{Pacific Affairs}},
title = {{Social Mobilization of the Underdogs: The Damansara Save Our School Movement in Malaysia}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5509/2012852313}},
doi = {{10.5509/2012852313}},
volume = {{85}},
year = {{2012}},
}