Activism on the Edge of Extinction - An Ethnographic Study of Activism and Rights in Melbourne

Master's thesis subitted at the Department of Social Anthropology, spring 2025.

By: Mina-Marie Haug
Supervisor: Associate Professor Geir Henning Presterudstuen

This thesis examines the organisational structures of Extinction Rebellion’s (XR) climate activism in Melbourne. Motivation is the central analytical lens, used to explore how and why XR members remain politically engaged as the cost of doing so continues to rise. Humanity is facing what is widely described as the sixth mass extinction, driven by human activity. Australia is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change yet remains a significant contributor to its acceleration. One response to this is the rise of social movements advocating for systemic change, such as XR. Targeted as criminals and witnessing climate politics being deprioritised and postponed, XR navigate both an ecological emergency and a restrictive local legislative environment – fuelling internal frustration and disillusionment. I found that climate activism is not only a response to global failure, but also deeply personal and a moral form of worldmaking, where activists increasingly question their moral and ethical commitments. As conventional activism is seen as ineffective, radical visions for change is considered necessary – despite personal risk. Using the framework of “glocal navigation”, I argue that climate activism is multi-layered: it is deeply individual, collectively expressed, nationally performed and locally constructed – and my interlocutors embodied these entangled layers. Through participant observation, I captured how motivation and emotional narratives reveal the movement’s internal dynamics and strategic evolution – a complexity I suggest can be best understood through engaged ethnographic attention.