Social Movements

Flashcards developed from lecture notes on social movements, covering key theories, critiques, and concepts.

Social Movement

An organized collective activity to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society.

Collective Behaviour Theory

Suggests that social movements emerge from collective norms and values, usually in response to social strain.

Mass Society Theory

Indicates that social movements emerge in response to authoritarian rule, as populations band together due to alienation.

Relative Deprivation Theory

Posits that social movements occur when people feel a negative discrepancy between their expectations and actual circumstances.

Key Components of Relative Deprivation Theory

People must feel they have a right to their goals and perceive they cannot attain these goals through conventional means.

Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT)

Examines how social movements utilize resources such as money, political influence, media access, and personnel.

Political Process Theory (PPT)

Traces social movements from birth to death, emphasizing rational attempts to mobilize and capitalize on political opportunities.

Political Opportunity Structures

The political opportunities available outside of the social movement itself.

Characteristics of Social Movements

Usually involve movement actors (aggrieved groups), stated goals (desired changes), repertoires of contention (means of achieving goals), and targets of change (places for desired social change).

Definition of Social Movements by PPT and RMT

Attempts by politically excluded groups to rationally challenge state and economic structures through non-institutionalized means.

Theda Skocpol

Conducted a comparative historical analysis of revolutions and argued that they are not spontaneous but 'made', emphasizing state involvement.

Critiques of Political Process and Resource Mobilization Theories

May overlook cultural factors, fail to fit many social movements into their frameworks, and do not consider the importance of collective identity formation.

Role of Culture in Social Movements

According to Francesca Polletta, culture is constitutive of structures and is as important to social movements as political impact.

New Social Movements (NSMs)

Characterized by their emergence in the 1960s, focusing on issues like human rights and identity, such as women's rights and gay rights.

Collective Identity and Social Movements

According to Polletta and Jasper, collective identity is crucial, but its treatment has been too broad and narrow, and SMOs encourage the formation of collective identities.

Multi-Institutional Approach

Frames society as composed of multiple institutions and looks at social change efforts in both state and non-state contexts.

Goals of Movement Actors in Multi-Institutional Theories

Consider a wider range of disadvantaged groups and changing institutional practices, while PPT and RMT focus on political and