The scope of Activist Wisdom is broad, and the authors discuss many issues that have been relevant to those involved in progressive political movements in Australia. Perhaps the most interesting section of the book is the one that investigates how ‘[a]ctivists are constantly working to accommodate their differences while still presenting a united front’. Maddison and Scalmer acknowledge that ‘social movements can produce unity’ and that ‘[i]t feels good to belong to a group’. However, they also discuss the ‘differences’ that have arisen between members of particular movements and the various ways in which these differences have been ‘managed’.

Activist Wisdom will not ease all of the tensions that have existed between the academy and street-based political movements. However, the text does provide a respectful and engaging exchange between these two mediums. The extensive research conducted by Maddison and Scalmer, and the diversity of issues they address, make their book recommended reading for activists and researchers in the fields of Australian politics and history.