Manissa Maharawal

What happens in the wake of mass mobilizations and popular social movements? And what becomes of the participants and their political projects? In 2011 Occupy Wall Street inspired people globally to protest against global economic inequality, demand more democratic structures of self-governance, and critique the current economic system. Less than a year later, the movement had no street presence and had mostly faded from public consciousness. Using detailed ethnography and oral history interviews with movement participants, this project follows the after-life of Occupy in New York City and the San Francisco Bay area, tracing the urban struggles and politics that its youth participants have engaged in over the past three years.