Where Saul Alinsky offers a playbook for confrontation and Angela Y. Davis provides a framework for solidarity, adrienne maree brown's *Emergent Strategy* offers something else entirely: a philosophy for being. Drawing inspiration from science fiction, particularly the work of Octavia Butler, and the science of biomimicry, brown invites activists to think of their work not as a war to be won, but as a complex ecosystem to be nurtured. This book is a radical and necessary departure from rigid, top-down organizing models, proposing instead that lasting change emerges from the bottom up, through small, adaptive, and deeply interconnected actions. It is a guide to creating movements that are as resilient, adaptive, and beautiful as the natural world itself.
Book Summary: Learning from Nature
At its core, *Emergent Strategy* is a study of how complex systems in nature organize themselves without centralized control. Think of a flock of starlings turning in perfect unison, or a colony of ants building an elaborate network of tunnels. No single bird or ant is in charge; the intelligence is decentralized, and the complex pattern *emerges* from simple interactions between the individual parts. brown applies this concept to social movements, arguing that by focusing on the quality of our relationships and our ability to adapt to constant change, we can create powerful, large-scale movements that are more organic and less brittle than traditional hierarchical organizations.
Key Principles of Emergent Strategy
The book is built around a series of core principles that serve as guideposts for this new way of thinking and organizing.
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Small is Good, Small is All. (The Large is a Reflection of the Small.)
This principle asserts that the health of the entire movement—the macro—is a direct reflection of the health of the relationships, teams, and pods within it—the micro. Instead of focusing only on mass mobilizations, we must also focus on building trust, care, and accountability within our small groups. A healthy movement is made up of healthy, interconnected parts.
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Change is Constant. (Be Like Water.)
Emergent strategy embraces the fact that the world is unpredictable. Instead of clinging to rigid 5-year plans, movements must be fluid, flexible, and adaptive. Like water, they should be able to flow around obstacles, change shape to fit new containers, and when necessary, build up the pressure to crash through a dam. This is a call to value learning and adaptation over rigid adherence to a plan.
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There is Always Enough Time for the Right Work.
This is a direct challenge to the culture of urgency and burnout that plagues so much of activism. brown argues that this frantic energy is a product of the very systems we are trying to dismantle. By moving at the "speed of trust" and prioritizing deep, intentional work over constant, reactive busyness, we build movements that are more sustainable and, ultimately, more effective.
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Trust the People.
This principle calls for a radical decentralization of leadership. It is a belief that people have the capacity to self-organize, make good decisions, and find creative solutions to the problems facing their communities. It means moving away from charismatic, centralized leaders and toward a model where power and responsibility are widely distributed throughout the network.
How to Leverage for Effective Change Today
The principles of Emergent Strategy can be applied in very practical ways:
- Form Pods and Decentralize Action: Instead of waiting for instructions from a central committee, encourage the formation of small, autonomous "pods" or affinity groups. Empower them to plan and execute their own actions in alignment with the movement's broader vision.
- Practice Iterative Campaigning: Instead of a single, massive campaign plan, use shorter, iterative cycles. Plan a small action, execute it, collectively reflect on what was learned, and then adapt the next plan based on that feedback. This allows for constant learning and improvement.
- Integrate "Relationship Building" as a Core Tactic: Treat community-building activities—like shared meals, skill-sharing workshops, or simple check-in circles—as essential organizing work, not just "nice-to-have" extras. The strength of these relationships is what will sustain the movement through difficult times.