Movement Ecology Resources

Essential materials for understanding movement ecology, building collective power, and creating systemic change.

These are some of the key resources that inform our work and that we recommend to anyone interested in movement building, complexity thinking, and social change. They’re organized by topic area to help you find what’s most relevant to your interests and work.

Movement Ecology

Ulex (2022): Sustaining the Climate Justice Movement (Training Manual)
Adams (2025): “Mapping the UK climate movement again”
Cox (2018): Why Social Movements Matter
Eden & Rodrigues (2025): All In: A Revolutionary Theory to Stop Climate Collapse
Holling (2001): “Understanding the Complexity of Economic, Ecological, and Social Systems”
Nunes (2021): Neither Vertical nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organization
Tufekci (2017): Twitter and Tear Gas
Ulex (2025): Ecology of Social Movements in Central and Eastern Europe (One-week training)
Wright (2010): Envisioning Real Utopias

Hegemony

Williams & Gilbert (2022): Hegemony Now: How Wall Street and Big Tech Won the World
Adams (2019): “Mapping hegemonic power in a time of monsters”
Cox (2024): “Social movements and hegemonic struggle”
Gramsci (1947): Prison Notebooks
Hoare & Sperber (2016): An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci
Michael Mezz (2023): “Why do people brag about working long hours?” (Short video)
Perez (2004): “Finance and technical change: A long-term view”
Williams (2020): Political Hegemony and Social Complexity: Mechanisms of Power After Gramsci

Complexity

Boulton, Allen, Bowman (2015): Embracing Complexity: Strategic Perspectives for an Age of Turbulence
Case (2018): “Attractor Landscapes” (A fun, interactive online visualisation)
Snowden et al. (2023): “Cynefin Framework” (Wiki)
Snowden et al. (2025): “Estuarine Framework” (Wiki)
Doyle (2022): “Vector theory of change”
Juarrero (2010): “Dynamical Systems Theory”
Levin (2022): “Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: An Experimentally-Grounded Framework for Understanding Diverse Bodies and Minds”
Sapolsky (2010): “Chaos and Reductionism” and “Emergence and Complexity” (Lectures)
Valente (2017): “Complexity theories and Systems Thinking: parallels and differences”

Disrupting Hegemonic Relationships

The Trapese Collective (2007): Do It Yourself: A Handbook for Changing Our World
Akuno (2022): “Organizing for revolution, not crisis avoidance” (Video)
Gahman (2016): “Dismantling neoliberal education: a lesson from the Zapatistas”
Hope & Timmel (1984): Training for Transformation: A Handbook for Community Workers
Knapp, Flach, Ayboga (2016): Revolution in Rojava
Linares (2025): Decolonising Money
Pien (2010): “Black Panthers’ Breakfast Programme”
Rojava Information Center (2022): “The Rojava Revolution - A Decade On (Part 1)”
Spade (2020): Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)

Movement Culture & Psychology

Machado de Oliveira (2021): Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism
Lawson (2021): The Entangled Activist: Learning to Recognise the Master's Tools
Munson (2009): The Making of Pro-Life Activists: How Social Movement Mobilization Works (Summary article)
Powerlabs (2024): “Thriving Together: The Science of Motivation” (Webinar)
The “Triangle of Love & Hate” we use in our course is listed as “Exploring an Ecology Of Strategies Activity” in ULEX’s Training Manual.

Where to get books and papers

Bookshop UK: Independent online platform supporting local booksellers
Biblio and WorldOfBooks: Good for getting second-hand books
Anna's Archive: “The largest truly open library in human history.” Has downloadable eBooks and PDFs of books and scientific papers. You can download eBook reading apps for free. If you can, please donate directly to the authors of books or papers you get there.
If you have trouble locating any of the resources we list, feel free to get in touch so we can hep you find and access it!

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Movement Ecology Resources