“Changes and progress very rarely are gifts from above. They come out of struggles from below.” – Noam Chomsky
Welcome to Struggles From Below, an online magazine dedicated to shining a light on initiatives that are changing the world from the bottom up; telling the stories of individuals trying to improve our system of living to achieve a more humane and ecologically harmonious existence.
The world finds itself in a state of crisis. Well, perhaps it always does. But undeniably there’s a growing sentiment across the political spectrum that the societal model under which most of the planet now lives is perhaps not the ‘end of history’ once assumed. Questions have arisen over the unforeseen consequences of free-market economics, the upcoming social disruptions of new technologies, and the lack of flex of a consumption-hungry system to accommodate our impending climate reckoning—to name but a few. These questions elicit disparate and highly subjective answers; but answers they require.
The news keeps us constantly informed of these problems we face, and the poor souls that suffer in their wake. Essential as that service is to the functioning of a democracy, this magazine nevertheless focuses on the opposite: the solutions and those that provide them. The aim is not to cover up the bad, but rather to unveil more of the good—so often upstaged by the more pressing agenda of tragedy and negativity—so that, collectively, we can learn from successful responses to economic, environmental and social problems faced by communities the world over.
The what
Balancing journalistic and artistic ideals, the magazine is a two-fold offering: proprietary longform articles and photo essays reporting on development and sustainability initiatives, and the personalities behind them; and a news curation service collating the best longform solutions journalism from across the web.
The articles will concentrate on real-life actions: from one person’s struggle to live a 100% ecologically sustainable lifestyle, to community-based projects combating youth delinquency, to ambitious multi-tiered projects trialing entirely new socio-economic systems. Altruistic innovation will be the common thread.
For clarity of focus, the articles will not cover primarily commercial offerings that might also have a deeply beneficial effect on our lives, or technological and scientific developments aimed at change for the sole purpose of human progression — benevolent intent and vision of application will be key prerequisites.
The why
The purpose of the magazine is to a) disseminate innovative ideas about how we might improve the world around us, b) provide just credit and appreciation to those putting their ideas into practice, and c) offer inspiration for others interested in doing the same.
Specifically, the articles aim to bring to wider attention the experiences and ideas of those who are trying, at the expense of their own material well-being, to catalyse benevolent change to our societal model. The articles will serve as a form of thanks for those efforts, as well as to highlight initiatives that might not otherwise be covered by mainstream media.
Of equal importance, the articles should serve as a source of inspiration for others interested in improving the way our society functions. It is hoped that these stories might encourage readers to start their own development initiatives or to join existing ones, or even just to modify their day-to-day living in order to better contribute to the world’s preservation and progression.
Through the news curation service, readers will find a wide range of ideas to enrich their own political viewpoints. And, down the line, it’s hoped the service will become comprehensive enough to provide readers with a daily update of all the exciting social-change initiatives taking place across the world.
From a philosophical standpoint, the platform as a whole will aim to dispel the notion that it’s naive to want to live more harmoniously with one’s neighbours and the environment; and to show those disenchanted with the prevailing system that there are alternatives to just condemning and retreating from mainstream society.
The how
The pieces themselves are longform feature articles and photo essays aimed at covering the who, what and why of the subjects in focus. The writing is accompanied, in equal part, by photographic imagery of the initiatives and their protagonists, with the odd short video to demonstrate a described process. In esoteric journo lingo: the aim is to combine a narrative non-fiction approach with quality documentary photography and to apply it to a solutions-journalism beat.
The reportage will be both experiential, with the correspondent sufficiently immersing themself within the initiative as to gain a full understanding of its workings; and emotional, digging into the psyche of the initiative’s protagonist/s in order to understand their motives and vision.
Our coverage is apolitical and non-partisan, and relies on old-fashioned, on-the-ground reporting built on a foundation of provable fact; in fact, the only opinion you’ll hear from us will come from verified experts offering insights into the latest innovations in their field.
We hope you enjoy the experience. All feedback welcome!