Contentious Politics and Social Movements

These flashcards cover key concepts in contentious politics and social movements, providing definitions and explanations of important terms discussed in the lecture.

Contentious Politics

Politics that involve collective claims that may conflict with the interests of others, often involving governments as claimants or objects.

Structural Violence

The result of unequal access to power and resources, affecting the physical and psychological needs of low-power groups.

Political Opportunity Structures

Features of regimes and institutions that facilitate or inhibit political actors' collective action and changes in those features.

Contentious Performances

Standardized ways in which political actors make collective claims on others, such as demonstrations or petitions.

Social Movement

A sustained challenge to power holders by a population, making public displays of worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment.

Campaign

A sustained, organized public effort making collective claims on authorities, linking claimants, objects of claims, and the public.

Coalition Formation

Weak social and political actors combining resources to confront powerful opponents, enabling collective action.

Collective Violence

Physical damage inflicted by a group sharing a collective interest, often as a planned coordinated action.

Idea People

Those who believe consciousness and acquired ideas from the environment drive human actions and behavior.

Behavior People

Those who focus on motives, impulses, and opportunities that elicit immediate responses to commit or refrain from violence.

Relation People

Individuals who view violence as a product of interactions, emphasizing the role of negotiating motives and creativity.