9/22+24 Activist Claimsmakers
Activist Claimsmakers
outsider claimsmakers - do not hold powerful political positions and lack access to the polity
insider claimsmakers - have contacts with policymakers
Charles Tilly’s Polity Model
the polity - groups whose interests are routinely recognized by policymakers
social position - the power, authority, resources, and prestige of groups
5 key elements
challengers to or defenders of authority
collective actors (identity)
extra-institutional tactics
organized (formal organizations and/or networks)
temporal continuity
Theories of social movements
recall - theories and theoretical perspectives
three primary theories
resource mobilization
political process/opportunity
framing
Political Process Theory
choices and outcomes for activists understood within a political context
emphasis on power configurations and how they shape activists’ opportunities to affect change
Cognitive liberation - perceived injustice and collective efficacy - as a precondition for collective action
Social movements shaped by:
organization within aggrieved populations
importance of indigenous mobilizing structures, leadership, and formal organizations
collective assessment of the prospects for a successful movement
political alignment of groups within a larger political environment
Political Opportunity
To what extent does the structure of the state permit challenges from outsiders
presence or absence of elite allies
the state’s capacity and tendency to engage in repression
distinguish between perceived and objective opportunity
Opportunity Structures
cultural - more people willing to listen to claims
political - distribution of power among groups shifts
Changing Opportunities
tactical adaptations
movements must use tactics that are appropriate to the cultural and political opportunities available
innovation and interaction
Movement abeyance
when opportunities decline and movement shifts to maintenance until opportunities arise