Civil olydnad som motstånd: En kvalitativ studie av klimatrörelsen Extinction Rebellion

Sammanfattning: This qualitative study will focus on the environmental organization Extinction Rebellion (XR) and its use of civil disobedience. This study is delimited to local groups in Sweden and seeks to deepen the knowledge of civil disobedience by examine the ethical principles underlying the organization’s actions. Furthermore, the study aims to explore recurring critique directed towards XR, and how its members address the criticism that their approach gives rise to. The empirical material was collected through a selection of articles and through interviews with members of the organization. The study revealed that the primary criticism was that XR use antidemocratic methods, that the methods can pose danger to the public and that the strategy that the organization has adopted is ineffective for formation of opinion. Hence, divergent perspectives of the organization’s impact and legitimacy were observed. Therefore, it is relevant to carry out a moral-ethical analysis of the critique directed at the organization as well as of the answers given by the respondents. The theorical frameworks for this study are traditional moral theories as well as ecocentric moral theories. The conclusion of the study is that the respondents and the critics argue from different ethical perspectives, hence, the fundamental values of the two parties are incompatible. However, the urgency of the climate crisis suggests that more radical actions may be necessary to facilitate essential change. Furthermore, at this point there are few indications that society will implement such extensive changes voluntarily, which might support believes that controversial actions are necessary to create attention and discussion. The study also reveals more subtle strategies for societal change, such as XR’s actions benefiting reformist organizations, which in an indirect way also promotes XR’s overall objectives.