Occupy Wall Street: A Counter Discourse

Preliminary research on the Occupy Wall Street movement (OWS), in particular Occupy NYC, indicates that the movement is generating a particular discourse that has effectively drawn increasing attention to social inequality. The occupation of urban spaces generated a spatial forum for further articulating the message of the movement. The chant, “We are the 99%,” the occupation of Zuccotti Park in Manhattan’s financial district, and the International Day of Direct Action in which 35,000 flooded the streets of lower Manhattan describe some key themes and moments in the Occupy NYC movement. An important question, however, is to what extent the movement is a significant challenge to the dominant paradigm in which a market ideology discourse (or neoliberal discourse) prevails. Based on data gathered from interviews, participant observation, and archival research, this paper maps and engages the emerging discourse of the Occupy NYC movement in light of this critical framework. Concepts such as culture jamming and environmental justice are further employed to bring richness and depth to the analysis.