The visible effects of ‘invisible politics’: ‘everyday forms of resistance’ and possible outcomes

ABSTRACT We evaluate existing case studies of ‘everyday forms of resistance’ and explore the possibilities for a systematic research on its political impacts. Due to its elusive nature, the impact of this less visible resistance has rarely been studied. We only find single case studies that make references to varied outcomes in a particular context. Main theorists within the field do suggest a loose hypothesis of ‘cumulative’ effects in which (thousands of) individual acts can have a significant impact over time, with triggered mobilization of ‘scale shifts’ into public mass actions. Our exploration points to a potential for establishing knowledge of immediate outcomes, particularly through comparative case studies.