Constructive resistance: repetitions, emotions, and time

Constructive resistance challenges traditional notions of opposition, demonstrating its potential for social and political transformation. Mona Lilja's work expands the understanding of resistance beyond confrontational forms, showing how repetitions, emotions, and time strategies can create alternative discourses. The study employs a theoretical framework integrating Foucauldian power/knowledge nexus, James Scott's commonplace resistance, Judith Butler's performativity, and Rosi Braidotti's figuration. Through empirical evidence from Cambodia, Japan, and the Philippines, Lilja illustrates how constructing replicas like the Preah Vihear temple, deploying emotional strategies in civil society organizations, and utilizing museum artifacts can serve as forms of constructive resistance. The research highlights three reiteration techniques—altering repetitions, simplifying discourses, and manipulating cause-effect links—as well as four temporal strategies: memorialization, time-transcending communities, decelerated time, and temporal ruptures. This innovative approach offers a foundation for rethinking resistance beyond power dynamics.

Badri, A. (2022). Constructive resistance: repetitions, emotions, and time. International Affairs, 98(5), 1804–1805. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiac177