"Voices of courage" : what makes people courageous?
What characterises courageous people, and what enables them to be courageous? This practice-based social sculpture research project investigates these questions by analysing the pathways of people who became activists and through an introspective assessment of my own experiences as an activist. My findings are based on 21 semi-structured interviews with human rights and environmental activists, men, and women, between 19 to 80 years of age, from 16 countries, including Iran, Mexico, China, Russia, and Botswana. The sample is characterised as a group of people who engage publicly and for the benefit of others in sharing a humane, ecological, and just society without using violence. I recorded the interviews on video, analysed these recordings through a transdisciplinary and autoethnographic lens and made short films based on each interview. The reflective commentary complements the practice-based social sculpture research project: Courageous activists are not born but have been shaped by their families, role models, and mentors. The engagement with these facilitators and singular watershed moments sparks an internal process that leads them to develop and maintain courageous agency: Experience of activism perpetuates activism. This courageous agency is defined by high levels of self-confidence and a strong belief in the power of the individual. It is characterised by a strong sense of justice and a feeling of obligation and responsibility for society. The research aims to contribute to our understanding of courageous activism. (1) The interview questions uncovered rarely attainable personal layers of motivation for becoming politically active. Thus, they have unearthed a new understanding of distinct commonalities relating to the preconditions for courageous behaviour, individual capacity, resilience, and values and beliefs in activists. (2.) The research adds to a transnational perspective on motives and preconditions of agency in activists. (3) A unique contribution is the traceable co-creative interview process and sharing of the condensed videos on the public website www.voices-of-courage.com. The testimonies of these interviewees and their analysis provide a richer understanding of the evolution of courageous activism. By accessing the website and watching the videos, a wider audience has a chance to become aware of their agency.
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