Week 1b: Social Movements Origin and Definition

Flashcards covering the key concepts from the lecture on social movements, their definitions, historical context, and characteristics.

What are the historical foundations of the modern world discussed?

The Enlightenment, Liberalism, Political Revolutions, and the Industrial Revolution.

What are the systems of domination? And why is it structural?

Enduring, institutionalized arrangements of power that systematically privilege some groups while subordinating others.

Key idea: domination isn’t just about individual bad actors — it’s about structures that reproduce inequality over time.

Social movements arise when these systems are named, challenged, and politicized.

What are the core examples of systems of domination?

Capitalism, Patriarchy, Racism/White Supremacy, Colonialism/Neocolonialism/Imperialism, The State, Heteronormativity & Cisnormativity, Ableism, Surveillance Capitalism, and Epistemic Domination.

Definition of Social Movements? (“most scholars would agree” Flacks)

Social movements are collective efforts of some duration and organization, using non-institutionalized methods to bring about social change.

What was the Petit Mouvement in 1862 Narbonne, France? and what was it’s significances to social movements?

A local protest against the cosse tax where women and common people gathered to confront tax collectors. The significance is that today (modern) we would not consider this a social movement because it was not enduring and the participants had a broader goal stopping a particular tax.

What are the 4 key characteristics of a social movement? (hint: C,D,N,G)

1. Collective organization

2. Duration

3. Non-institutionalized methods, and

4. Goals centred on social change.

what is important that sparks a social movement? But why is it not exclusive, and why people contribute to the movement and take risk?

1. Grievances about conditions - e.g. poverty and government repression…but not exclusive. Other reasons include large-scale economic shifts and changes in organizational bases.

2. slides: networking, organization, and recruiting people - textbook: social networks, ideology, and resources

What defines 'Repertoire of Collective Action'?

It's the set of tactics used by social movements, including demonstrations, strikes, boycotts, and claim-making performances.

What is a claim marking performance? and how does the action fit in?

Using one of the actions to make the demand.

claim - the unjust (demand) to change

performance - highlights what the claim is

How do early and modern forms of collective action differ?

Modern forms use broader goals and strategies, are more cosmopolitan, and often involve complex organizational structures.

What are some tactics associated with social movements?

Demonstrations, strikes, boycotts, and other means of making claims at a national scale.

SM and repertorie are products of what ____ cicumstances and could change as ______ conditions change?

historical ; political

SM has a historical context in Politics and Economic areas, why is the non-institutionalized method part of the definition of SM?

Because the ways of pursuing change outside of formal, established political or social institutions (which are institutionalized) because instead of working through the system as it already exists, social movements usually act around, against, or beyond it. the system needs to be changes, so no reason to work within it.

Key Characteristics of a Social Movement?

• Collective Action: Movements consist of organized actions by groups with shared interests.

• Duration and Organization: They are sustained over time and often involve structured organizations.

• Contentious Politics: Movements engage in claim-making that conflicts with established authorities.

What are the 4 compontents of Tilly & Wood’s theory (Contentious Politics), presented in Social Movements?

1. Collective claims = substance of SM.. they are the demand. Made by the group. Directed to the authorities, power holders, and elites. w/o it, it’s just collective behaviour.

2. Campaigns = organizational form, repeating over time. duration, directed to a group. SM are campaigns not isolated events.

3. Tactics = in means through claims are made, (e.g. stricks, etc) Method.

4. Public representation = visibility + identity. claims communicated to wider audience. e.g. symbolic/slogans/signs.spokeperson. The social change. the why.

   1. WUNC (WUNC model (worthiness, unity, numbers, commitment) = the movement signal legitimacy and strength. The why deserves attention.

In theory (Resource Mobilization) McCarthy & Zald’s definition of social movement as “a set of _____ and ____ in a population which represents preferences for changing some elements of the social _____ and/or reward distribution of a society.

opinions ; beliefs ; structure

McCarthy & Zald’s theory (Resource Mobilization): elements of a SM? (hint: C,O,S,L)

1. Countermovements -

2. Opinions and beliefs (preference structures)

3. social structure/rewards

4. Leadershup and organization

What is the contrast between Tilly & Wood’s theory (Contentious Politics) v.s. McCartey & Zald’s theory (Resource Mobilization)

The core contrast :

Tilly	McCarthy & Zald
Public contention (tension)	Organizational mobilization
Protest as performance	Movements as enterprises
Emphasis on tactics & WUNC	Emphasis on resources & leadership
Historical and relational	Strategic and organizational
Asks “How are claims made?”	Asks “Who mobilizes whom, with what?”

Social movement organization (SMO) is defined as?

…a complex, or formal, organization which identifies its goals with the preferences of a social movement or a countermovement and attempts to implement those goals”

What are the underlying differences in assumptions of Tilly and McCarthy’s? They are not wrong, but focus on different levels of explanation.

• Tilly assumes conflict is shaped by state–society relations

• McCarthy & Zald assume conflict is shaped by resource inequality and organization

Tilly focuses on interaction and visibility
McCarthy & Zald focus on capacity and sustainability

How to explain the contrast in one clean paragraph

Tilly’s theory of social movements emphasizes public claim-making, repertoires of collective action, and WUNC displays, conceptualizing movements as a historically specific form of contentious politics shaped by interaction with the state. In contrast, McCarthy and Zald’s resource mobilization theory focuses on the organizational and material foundations of social movements, emphasizing leadership, resources, and social movement organizations. While Tilly explains how movements perform and gain legitimacy through public contention, McCarthy and Zald explain how movements are mobilized and sustained. Their contrast lies in their different analytical priorities rather than a fundamental disagreement about the existence of social movements.

What is social movement theory?

Social movement theory is:

A body of theories that explain how collective actors mobilize, organize, and act to challenge or defend existing power relations and systems of domination.

• Not a single theory

• Not a description of protests

• Not just about grievances or anger

How do you choose which theory is best to fit the question?

Why did this movement arise when it did?

→ Political Process / Tilly
Focus on political opportunities, state capacity, repression, and historical context.

How did the movement mobilize people and resources?

→ Resource Mobilization (McCarthy & Zald)
Look at leadership, funding, SMOs, professionalization, and countermovements.

How did participants understand themselves and the struggle?

→ New Social Movement Theory / Framing
Focus on identity formation, symbols, narratives, and cultural domination.

Why did the movement protest this way instead of another?

→ Tilly’s repertoire of collective action
Look at historical protest traditions and legitimacy.

What systems of domination are being challenged?

→ Critical / intersectional approaches
Focus on race, gender, class, colonialism, and overlapping hierarchies.

** why system of domination is a concept not a theory

How Theory fit together?

• Resource mobilization → How are movements organized?

• Contentious politics → How do movements confront power publicly?

• Framing & identity → How do movements make sense of injustice?