Prisms of the People: Power & Organizing in Twenty-First-Century America

Chicago Studies in American Politics

by Hahrie Han, Elizabeth McKenna, Michelle Oyakawa

Grassroots organizing and collective action have always been fundamental to American democracy but have been burgeoning since the 2016 election, as people struggle to make their voices heard in this moment of societal upheaval. Unfortunately much of that action has not had the kind of impact participants might want, especially among movements representing the poor and marginalized who often have the most at stake when it comes to rights and equality. Yet, some instances of collective action have succeeded. What’s the difference between a movement that wins victories for its constituents, and one that fails? What are the factors that make collective action powerful?

Prisms of the People addresses those questions and more. Using data from six movement organizations—including a coalition that organized a 104-day protest in Phoenix in 2010 and another that helped restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated in Virginia—Hahrie Han, Elizabeth McKenna, and Michelle Oyakawa show that the power of successful movements most often is rooted in their ability to act as  “prisms of the people,” turning participation into political power just as prisms transform white light into rainbows. Understanding the organizational design choices that shape the people, their leaders, and their strategies can help us understand how grassroots groups achieve their goals.

Linking strong scholarship to a deep understanding of the needs and outlook of activists, Prisms of the People is the perfect book for our moment—for understanding what’s happening and propelling it forward.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Sociology

216 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2021

Reviews

[Joel D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Poorly written, and really unclear what the authors are actually trying to say. Too effortful and correspondingly unrewarding.

[Orla · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you trawl through the endless repetition and overly convoluted delivery this book has incredible insights. But it’s hard going. One of those “this meeting could of been an email” feelings. The typeface is dense, with very little relief. Content could have been broken up with more visuals and list summaries. It could also benefit from a really tight edit. In certain places the authors write things like “and thirdly…” and I had to read back and still couldn’t find where point 1 or 2 were made.

The insights were great, but as a busy activist I wanted to access them more easily. If you are short on time I recommend “Chapter 5: Building people to build power”. There is so much gold in the other chapters but it’s just very hard going.

[지훈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dense, academic read *because it is written by an academic, in academic formatting*. Although some components were repetitive and it was quite dense, I think for practitioners it's a very useful grounding reminder in ways to build sustainable, long-term power. I was left with a lot of questions by the end but also was reminded of a lot of great work being done out there.

[Jessika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring! I took a lot of notes and will probably be referring back to this throughout the year while making some changes in a local housing rights organization

[Davy Buntinx · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too much on the research (meta) and a bit too small on the real world practical ideas.

[kat (kxphan on storygraph)]

read for class; helpful for me to think about basebuilding and observing rather than trying to measure power.

[Bus Frobby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most qualitative fluff of a book ever. Says the same thing over and over.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a helpful look at what it takes to build power in uncertain times, and I appreciated that it didn't constrain the avenues for powerbuilding to formal organizations. The case studies helped exemplify the key traits that Han and her colleagues were trying to get across. I think it can be hard for organizers who *are* working within formal structures like organizations to entirely put these principles into practice...it may be the most useful for burgeoning movements and campaigns that are truly built on people power, because it's easier to get things right from the beginning rather than course correcting afterwards. Good read for organizers thinking deeply about what it means to build power and wield it in different ways right now; a bit wonky and academic at times, it's not a "gripping" read so be prepared to sit down and take notes so it all sinks in.