Is there an atomic theory of collective action?
Yes. Imagine that every protest, strike, or uprising is not a solid block of history but a swarm of energized particles—individual wills, desires, and acts of defiance. The atomic theory of collective action treats each participant as a particle of agency that can jump orbits when infused by shared meaning. Micah White sketches it like this: movements arise when these sub‑political particles gain coherence, vibrating in unison until the field itself changes phase.
In this view, a small amount of narrative energy can trigger a chain reaction if participants share enough density, alignment, and excitement. That is why spontaneous revolts sometimes erupt from trivial sparks while massive campaigns languish. It is the same physics of ignition and decay: once the authorities identify the pattern, they cool the reaction and the particles drift apart.
So the real art of organizing lies in cultivating unstable compounds of belief that can jump thresholds faster than repression can dampen them. When was the last time you felt that surge of resonance—the moment a personal conviction fused with collective electricity?