Making a Movement

This is how you achieve change

Fridays for Future. Just Stop Oil. Black Lives Matter.
From Greta Thunberg's inspiring school strike in Sweden to emerging 'hacktivism' in Ethiopia and Iran to the toppling of the statue of a notorious slave trader in Britain, Barney Cullum travels around the world to find out how disruptors are fighting for a better future.

Meet the dissidents campaigning for democracy in Moscow and Istanbul, activists in the Sahel, Palestine, Brazil, and Ukraine, a commune claiming underground energy in Denmark and climate emergency protesters across Europe.

Everywhere Cullum goes, he asks: how are you achieving change? Find out the secrets of successful movements for social change, including:What made Ireland U-turn on abortion?
How did Taiwan's students resist when Hong Kong's could not?
What persuaded Britain to reform its drug laws?
How did peace finally break out in Colombia?

Reviews
"Making a Movement is a call to action but also a great insight into some of the leading international campaigns over the last ten years, which gives a sense of hope and aspiration for the next generation of campaigners and activists." - Patrick Vernon OBE, Windrush Campaigner

"Jam-packed with stories of collective action, Barney Cullum deftly brings to life the lives and passions of people who have been driven to action for a better world. Whatever your perspective on their campaigns, we all have things to learn from their imagination and skill in drawing people together to bring change." - Abigail Thomas, Hopeful Activists Podcast Host

"Making a Movement delivers a wrecking ball to the unsustainable populism of the right." - Simon Speakman Cordall, Al Jazeera Journalist

"If you read Barney Cullum's book, you will come away with comprehensive knowledge of the severe problems impacting people every day all over the world, but you will also feel utterly inspired to take action yourself. Powerful stories reframe the brave people and organisations who are truly taking risks to bring about positive change, all achieved in an accessible, fascinating way." - Lucy Skoulding, Human Rights Campaigner and Independent Journalist

"Cullum skilfully weaves together and situates social movements, campaigns and their tactics around the world. Interviews with key and ordinary people are interlaced with stories of how he obtained access. Filled with illuminating behind-the-scenes accounts of current situations, poignant viewpoints include those of pacifist Russians and Belarusians on the war in the Ukraine. Closer to home in the UK, Cullum captures the senselessness of people locked up in psychiatric hospitals for years with no end in sight." - Valerie de Schaller, Amnesty International Grassroots Activist

"Through interviews with activists and campaigners across the global spectrum, these chapters offer a crucial insight into environmental, political and human rights movements. From strike action, to street art, to direct action, this book is an argument for why a whole range of tactics are so critical to achieving real change. A captivating and meaningful read." - Ella Abraham, Praxis, For Migrants and Refugees Campaigner