MONKEYWRENCHING AND THE PROCESSES OF DEMOCRACY

In: Environmental politics, Volume 4, Issue 4, p. 199-214

Abstract

THE PRACTICE BY RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS OF "MONKEYWRENCHING"--DELIBERATELY INTERFERING WITH INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES THAT ARE JUDGED TO BE DESTRUCTIVE OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT--HAS BEEN CLAIMED BY CRITICS TO BE A FORM OF ECOLOGICAL TERRORISM. DESPITE THERE BEING SOME FEATURES IN COMMON BETWEEN MONKEYWRENCHING AND TERRORISM, IT IS MISLEADING TO SEE THE ONE AS A FORM OF THE OTHER. RATHER, MONKEYWRENCHING IS FAR MORE ACCURATELY REPRESENTED AS A FORM OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. THAT BEING SO, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WHETHER, IN THE WESTERN SOCIETIES WHERE IT IS PRACTICED, IT IS CONSISTENT EVEN WITH THE PREVAILING RATHER WEAK UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRACY. THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE ARGUES THAT IT IS CONSISTENT AND, INDEED, THAT ITS SELECTIVE USE MAY SERVE TO STRENGTHEN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IN POLITIES WHERE ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ARE NOT SEEN AS THUGGERY AGAINST THE RULE OF LAW BUT AS DIRECTING ATTENTION TO THE NEED FOR REFORM OF PARTICULAR LAWS AND RELATED SOCIAL PRACTICES.