Becoming an environmentalist and leader is motivated by a desire to make something differentThis study uses interview data from five environmental group leaders in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, to identify what motivates someone to become an environmentalist in Indonesia. The data is also used to examine how new grassroots environmental groups form in Indonesia. The theoretical construct of “becoming” -- as proposed by Deleuze and Guattari -- is used to analyze the data. Becoming, in this context, is presented as a journey motivated by a desire to make something different.
The personal stories shared by the five individuals interviewed for this study illustrate how they each identified an environmental concern in their local community and joined forces with others to address the concern. Three key concepts -- based on the work of Deleuze and Guattari -- frame the discussion: becoming, assemblage, the rhizome. The concept of becoming relates to how both the individual and the social are viewed – the self as “subjectivity in process;” the social representing a “collective becoming,” which can branch off into different directions. One feature of “becoming” is the tendency towards the periphery, the minority. This process is referred to as “becoming-minoritarian.” The concept of assemblage includes the idea of multifaceted arrangements joining together, sometimes on a temporary basis. A rhizome is an underground root stem which sends out roots and shoots in different directions. When these roots and shoots emerge above ground, they provide evidence of the unseen (but active) rhizome. Social movements with rhizomatic formations may emerge into public view only sporadically and with differing manifestations.
The becoming-minoritarian process of the environmental leaders interviewed for this study varied considerably. Yet, their journeys were all motivated by a desire to address an environmental problem in the local community. The initial impetus was something physical (versus theoretical or abstract) that they encountered and which was disturbing to them. The becoming-environmentalists also saw themselves as “embodied inhabitant[s] of and with the natural world.” As they worked with others to address a specific environmental concern, it wasn’t only the natural landscape that was transformed – the individual and collective subjectivities were transformed, as well. The process, however, included a “separation from the mainstream into new territory.” This separation -- or moving away -- represents a critical aspect of the becoming-minoritarian process.
The journeys shared by the interviewees illustrate how individuals became environmentalists and leaders through engagement with material concerns versus the realm of ideas. The process for each was driven by desire and carried forward through connections with like-minded others. The group, then, amplified possibilities in new directions and actions, making the group “more than the sum of its parts.” The five examples presented in this paper highlight the rhizomatic nature of group formation in the environmental movement. This approach, however, differs from some of the more traditional structures of environmental group formation. The becoming-minoritarian approach is presented as an ethical and potentially effective way to challenge the status quo of unawareness and detachment from environmental responsibility.
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