This is another one of our favorite processes developed by the skillful Chicago Office of the American Friends Service Committee, inspired by great popular education others have done in Central America and Canada.
“Coyuntura” is a Spanish word which means the intersection of various social forces and their effect upon a particular moment in history – generally, the present. It draws from the work of Antonio Gramsci. Conjunctural analysis captures a sense of movement; as differentiated from “structural analysis” which analyzes societal power structures and tends to be more static. The AFSC guide contains exercises and helpful coaching to go through identifying issues, conflicts and contractions, history, and visions for the future – ultimately identifying the principal contradiction in the moment, opportunities for change, and then deciding how to take action
► FACILITATION TIP:
Mary Zerkel, author of Coyuntural Analysis, explains that one of the benefits of coyuntural analysis is that it more likely leads to action. “When we look at those aspects of our society that are seemingly static
or structural (such as sexism or classism), we can become depressed or feel overwhelmed and unable to act. When we look at the conjunctural or the “moment,” we find temporary aspects of these structures that, because of their immediacy and their scaled-down nature, often lend themselves to short-term action.”