The Paradox of Mobilization Capacity: Coalition Formation in Divided Movements

Rajkamal Singh, Harvard University

Prior studies show that shared characteristics or incentives can foster collaboration among social movement organizations. Yet, in divided movements, where organizations are anchored in distinct social constituencies shaped by historical inequality and conflict (e.g., race, ethnicity, or class), coalitions remain rare even when interests align. In such movements, organizations face two enduring barriers to collaboration: fears of domination by more powerful organizations and the risk of losing legitimacy with their core social base and the broader movement. Drawing on the Indian farmers’ movement, where hundreds of organizations formed coalitions in 2017 despite persistent caste, class, and ideological divisions, I examine the conditions that weaken these barriers. Using process tracing and evidence from interviews (~200), participant observation (~20), and secondary sources, I argue that organizations’ capacity to mobilize from their respective social constituencies has a paradoxical effect on collaboration in divided movements. When organizations mobilize at scale, their capacity to dominate others and their susceptibility to pressure from their own base increase, thereby inhibiting collaboration. Conversely, when mobilization capacity is low, barriers weaken, facilitating coalition formation. This study identifies a collective action dilemma in divided contexts: strategies that strengthen individual organizations can simultaneously weaken the overall movement.

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 Presented in Session 215. Abolitionism, Coalition Formation, and Mobilization