week 1: intro

how do social movements drive social change (generally)

shifts political participation from institutionalized to non-institutionalized forms of engagement

institutionalized political engagement

voting, joining and volunteering for political party, etc

non-institutionalized political engagement

protests, grass roots, petitions, online engagement, discursive political participation

textbook definition of social movements (Flacks 2005)

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

social movements as contentious politics

considers actions involving “the making of claims that, if realized, would conflict with someone else’s interests” (Tarrow & Tilley 2009)

• claims are contentious, non-institutional, target gov authorities, sustained action (not singular but multiple forms over time), repertoire of collective action

social movements as multi-institutional politics

conceptualization that broadens definition of domination, considers authorities other than just gov and state

• takes into account non-state authorities - religious, cultural, corporate authorities

• ex: SlutWalk as response to cultural authority of patriarchy

social movements as networked identities

recognizes individual actions, not just collective action, across networks

• accounts for actions that express political preferences that do not require the collective

• both formal and informal networks are examples of social movements (ex: political consumerism or boycotts)

• movements are complex and heterogenous structures, begin to understand them as decentralized networks instead of unified group engaging in collective action

• individual’s political preference which then contributes to broader social movements

social movements as emancipation from below

concerned mainly with movements that oppose global capitalism, emerges from political economy

• opposed to spread of neoliberalism, draw from Marxist theory

• more about goals of the movements instead of preference or strategy

defining features of social movements (Hank Johnston 2013)

• pursue social change goals

• use tactics that are part of the modern repertoire

• take place outside of institutional politics

• made up of networked organizations and individuals

• have cohesion and continuity

• share a collective identity

repertoire of collective action

limited forms of protest are familiar during a given time

• evolve over time, but many tactics from 19th century still in use

claim-making performances

using repertoire available, activists engage in interaction with targets

• also evolve over time

professionalized movements

movements can become professionalized - they include fairly stable organizations that are headed by paid leaders and have memberships consisting largely of financial contributors, rather than activists

• can be hard to distinguish between professional movement and established interest group

social movement organization (SMO)

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

• movements differ from one another in the extent to which they are organized by formal organizations

• also differ in the extent to which they trigger organized opposition or countermovements

ex: Canadian abortion rights movement originally organized in part by Canadian Abortion Rights Action League (CARAL), Canadians for Choice, and the Pro-Choice Action network

• countermovement was mobilized by Catholic Church, Campaign Life Coalition, REAL Women of Canada

social movement industry

the collection of organizations within a movement

• ex: abortion rights movement industry consists of single-issue groups (ex: CARAL and NAC)

social movement sector

all of the social movement industries in a society

• ex: sector consists of abortion rights movement industry, but also its countermovement industry, the environmental movement industry, LGBTQ movement industry etc.

social movement community

idea that movements consist of networks of individuals, cultural groups, alternative institutions, and institutional supporters, as well as political movement organizations

• consist of more than public protest events emphasized by the contentious politics approach

• movements such as those centered on religion or self-help tend to be neglected, along with less visible forms of collective action