Īs consensus grew in popularity, it became less clear who influenced who. Eleanor Garst (herself influenced by Quakers) introduced the practice as part of the loose and participatory structure of WSP. Women Strike for Peace (WSP) are also accounted as independently used consensus from their founding in 1961. However, as the SNCC faced growing internal and external pressure toward the mid-1960s, it developed into a more hierarchical structure, eventually abandoning consensus. This way of working was brought to the SNCC at its formation by the Nashville student group, who had received nonviolence training from James Lawson and Myles Horton at the Highlander Folk School. it meant discussing a matter and reformulating it until no objections remained'. Early SNCC member Mary King, later reflected: 'we tried to make all decisions by consensus. MNS trained the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance (1976) and Abalone Alliance (1977) to use consensus, and in 1977 published Resource Manual for a Living Revolution, which included a section on consensus.Īn earlier account of consensus decision-making comes from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the main student organization of the civil rights movement, founded in 1960. MNS members used consensus decision-making from the beginning as a non-religious adaptation of the Quaker decision-making they were used to. By 1971 AQAG members felt they needed not only to end the war, but transform civil society as a whole, and renamed AQAG to MNS. Unhappy with the inactivity of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) against the Vietnam War, Lawrence Scott started A Quaker Action Group (AQAG) in 1966 to try and encourage activism within the Quakers. The Movement for a New Society (MNS) has been credited for popularizing consensus decision-making. Poster for the Clamshell Alliance's first occupation of Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant, 1977

Consensus spread abroad through the anti-globalization and climate movements, and has become normalized in anti-authoritarian spheres in conjunction with affinity groups and ideas of participatory democracy and prefigurative politics. The practice gained popularity in the 1970s through the anti-nuclear movement, and peaked in popularity in the early 1980s. ( August 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭonsensus decision-making, as a self-described practice, originates from several nonviolent, direct action groups that were active in the Civil rights, Peace and Women's movements, themselves part of the larger U.S. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new section, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. 'to decide by consensus' and ' a consensus was reached'). Broadly, consensus relates to a generally accepted opinion, but in the context of this article refers to the process and the outcome of consensus decision-making (e.g. The word consensus is Latin meaning 'agreement, accord', derived from consentire meaning 'feel together'.

The focus on establishing agreement of at least the majority or the supermajority and avoiding unproductive opinion differentiates consensus from unanimity, which requires all participants to support a decision. For the Wikipedia policy on consensus, see Wikipedia:Consensus.Ī general assembly at Occupy Wall Street (2011) where people aimed to establish consensus Members of the Shimer College Assembly reaching a consensus through deliberationĬonsensus decision-making or consensus process (often abbreviated to consensus) are group decision-making processes in which participants develop and decide on proposals with the goal of acceptance by all.

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