“American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave is an important book, not only as a portrait of our moment but also as a challenge to traditional understandings of protest politics. Dana Fisher shows how wrong it is — especially in the Trump Era — to draw sharp lines between protest and electoral action. She details what drove millions to come out in revolt against Trump, explains who they are, and demonstrates how the early marches translated into the unprecedented political engagement of 2018. There are lessons here for 2020, and beyond.”
“American Resistance charts the course of the anti-Trump surge in activism and organizing, shedding light on crucial realities and busting myths along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the people-powered movements that are changing American politics in the Trump era.”
“American Resistance is an extraordinary data-rich report on the emergence of political resistance to the Trump presidency….Fisher’s treatment is the best sort of social science, rigorously empirical and serving to answer, honestly, the important questions of our time.”
-David S. Meyer, Amazon
“The comprehensive guide to the Resistance: the backlash to the 2016 elections, the Blue Wave of 2018, and the enthusiasm leading to 2020.”
“After the shocking 2016 election, millions of Americans took to streets and meeting halls to fight President Trump’s agenda and revitalize U.S. democracy. Using interviews with the leaders of national political groups and surveys of thousands of participants in DC protest marches, Dana R. Fisher offers a window into their passionate, loosely coordinated efforts to boost 2018 Democratic fortunes in Congress and the states while proclaiming a very un-Trumpian vision for the country’s future.”
-Theda Skocpol, director, Scholars Strategy Network, and Victor S. Thomas Professor, Government and Sociology, Harvard University
“Exactly what happened between the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the 2018 takeover of the House of Representatives by Democrats and how it happened are the subjects of Dana Fisher’s work. While conventional wisdom lazily suggested a ‘pendulum swing,’ Fisher using survey data of participants in the two year long ‘Resistance,’ gets under the skin of this movement and helps us understand how it initially came together and then was able to sustain itself through the 2018 elections. More than just a fascinating piece of sociological research, Fisher’s study can be a valuable resource for movement activists, helping them better understand the inner dynamics of their organizing work.”
Dana R Fisher 