14 CULTURE

A Cultural Behavioral Systems Science Perspective on the Struggle for Social Justice

Abstract

Although major news outlets continuously broadcast inconsolable events in recent days, when we shift our perspective we can find a glimpse of hope occurring at the level of the streets and the community. People, especially the younger generation, continue to stand up and march toward the future that we may not have seen, yet one that is conceivably, achievable: a just and equitable world. How do these generations continue to fight in the midst of such adversity? In this chapter, we briefly review the strategies of nonviolent struggle from a culturo-behavior scientific perspective. Our hope is that readers of this chapter will be inspired to further explore culturo-behavior science, nonviolent strategic action, and perhaps, become a comrade who stands in solidarity with the courageous activists that are mobilizing communities to construct a brighter future.

Keywords

social justice

protests

Coronavirus

police

brutality

Ludwig von Bertalanffy

Gene Sharp

Behavior Systems Analysis

pillars of support

resource disruption

George Floyd

equities

inequities

pay gap

equitable

outputs

nonviolent action

metacontingency

persuasion

constructive noncoperation

disobedience

oppressors

nonviolent struggle

oppressed

monolithic model of power

inputs

peaceful demonstrations

cultural consequence

disruptive noncooperation

equivalence relations

pluralistic model of power

political power

authority

systems theory

behavioral systems analysis

systemic violence

Culturo-behavior science

systems theory

retaliation

Authors

Traci M. Cihon

Kyosuke Kazaoka