social movements

institutional

vote, contribute money/time to a political campaign, join a political party, write letters, sign petitions, run for office

extra-institutional

protest, march, riot, demonstrate, sit-in, engage in civil disobedience

• often used when people believe institutional pathways are ineffective, unresponsive, or inaccessible for addressing their grievances

collective action

action that takes place in groups and diverges free from the social norms of the situation

crowd collective action

• participants are physically present together

• action is spontaneous and shaped by immediate social interaction

• emotions and behaviors spread quickly face-to-face

• ex: storming the field after a win

mass collective action

• participants are not physically co-located

• action is organized through social media and websites

• involves planning, a shared message, and often support from formal organizations

• ex: coordinated boycott campaign

convergence theory

collection action happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place

• riots after soccer games

• convergence of like-minded (and drunk) people causes the collective action

• describes the ingredients necessary for the collective action, but cannot explain inconsistency of action

• doesn’t explain why it doesn’t happen consistently

contagion theory

collective action arises because of people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of others with whom they are in close contact

• the wave at a football game

• behavior of other people in groups is contagious

• downplays individual agency

• doesn’t explain why some situations more conducive to collective action or some people prone to imitating others

emergent norm theory

emphasizes the influence of keynoters in promoting new behavioral norms

• passenger helping to evacuate a plane

• keynoters not the same as leaders

• people whose actions become the behavior copied by the group

• doesn’t explain why particular people emerge as leaders

social movement

collective behavior that is purposeful and organized and seeks to challenge or change one or more aspects of society through institutionalized and extra-institutional means

• purposeful and organized

• sustained over time

• resist or promote social change

elements of movements

• campaign: sustained, organized effort

• repertoire: combined political action

  • sit-ins, protests, strikes, refusing to pay taxes, boycotts

• worthiness, unity, numbers, commitment

  • convince other people the movement is worth fighting for

alternative social movements

seek the most limited social change and often target a narrow group of people

• moms against drunk driving (targeting people who drink and drive)

redemptive social movements

target specific groups but advocate for more radical change in behavior

• alcoholics anonymous

reformative social movements

advocate for limited social change across an entire society

• marriage equality campaigns

revolutionary social movements

advocate for the radical reorganization of society

• Arab Spring

classical model

based on a concept of structural weakness in society that results in psychological disruption in individuals

• movements as collective reaction to social strain

• psychological effects on individuals, irrational

• manage strain, not achieve political goals

• but strains are always present - can’t explain why movements in some circumstances but not others

resource-mobilization theory

emphasizes political context and goals but also states that social movements are unlikely to emerge without the necessary resources

• rational attempt to pursue collective interests

• political, not psychological

• grievances necessary but not sufficient

political process model

focuses on the structure of political opportunities; when these are favorable to a particular challenger, the chances are better for the success of a social movement led by this challenger

• three factors lead to insurgency

  • structure of political opportunities, indigenous organizational strength, cognitive liberation

structure of political opportunities

• opportunities to engage change over time

• increase power of insurgents

• decreased vulnerability of repression

organizational strength

• movements often emerge from pre-existing organizations

  • members, incentives, communication, leaders

cognitive liberation

• more than structural potential

• need to understand conditions as unjust

• believe that change can occur through collective action

frames

social movements frame (assign meaning to and interpret) relevant events and conditions in ways that are intended to mobilize potential supporters and constituents

• to garner bystander support and to demobilize antagonists

diagnostic framing

what is the problem?

prognostic framing

how can we solve the problem?

motivational framing

what action should we take?

• motivating other people to support your cause, ways you speak about your movement

empirical credibility

true and consistent with evidence

narrative fidelity

resonates with society’s values

• present it in a way that society understands and agrees with

experiential commensurability

match with everyday, first-hand experiences

• translate movement in ways that make it personally relevant to people

what facilitates participation?

• biographical availability

• beliefs and ideology

• social networks

• membership in organizations

• collective identities

• previous protest experience

• social media