There may be some parallels with the activism and social movements aspect of politics that involves campaigns with tactics such as large demonstrations that, even if nonviolent, can pit protestors up against police and military. How social movements maneuver in a physical space in my view can resemble a military operation.

Another aspect to consider is the cost of political participation, especially in cases where people are organizing against corruption. Reprisal against those who dissent against a corrupt regime and inefficient structural mechanisms for people to express their democratic will may result in people having to spend large amounts of time participating in politics that detracts from other aspects of their lives and can leave them burnt out. Both of these scenarios could impact the physical and mental health of those participating in politics, rendering them casualties of a political conflict.

Thinking about how these phenomena manifest in student movements has led me to consider politics and/or social movements as on the same spectrum as war. Perhaps theories of social movements need to be reconceptualized as broader theories of resistance.

Reading about political opportunity theory in the context of social movements has often led to me thinking about the above. Here are some sources that may be of interest:

Duell, K. (2014). Sidelined or Reinventing Themselves? Exiled Activists in Myanmar’s Political Reforms. In Debating Democratization in Myanmar (pp. 109–136).

Kruse, S. D., & Rodela, K. C. (2019). When Hate Comes to Campus: Campus Readiness for Conflict, Safety, and Student Voice. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 22(3), 85–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555458919860241

Meyer, D. S. (2004). Protest and Political Opportunities. Annual Review of Sociology, 30(1), 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110545

Tilly, C., & Wood, L. (2020). Social Movements as Politics. In Social Movements, 1768–2018 (4th ed., pp. 3–17). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429297632-1

Justin Patrick Thank you for your suggestion.