lecture

social movements

  • one way ppl change the world is via social movements

  • 1960s: political academics started to study n try n understand social movements

  • originally seen as ‘outside’ politics » not formal politics n therefore not how change happened

    • rather parliament n policies n regulations were credited with real change

how do we define contentious politics?

  • “Contentious politics involves interactions in

    which actors make claims bearing on other

    actors’ interests, leading to coordinated efforts

    on behalf of shared interests or programs, in

    which governments are involved as targets,

    initiators of claims, or third parties.

    Contentious politics thus brings together three

    familiar features of social life: contention,

    collective action, and politics” (Tilly and Tarrow,

    2015: 7)

contentious politics example

aspect:

anti-slave trade movement:

euromaidan protests:

actors & alliances

religious groups (Quakers), abolitionists (Wilberforce, Clarkson), MPs

students, civil society groups, opposition leaders

repertoires of contention

petitions, boycotts (sugar), pamphlets, public meetings

occupations (Maidan Square), barricades, social media, singing national anthem

political opportunity

parliamentary reform openings, rising literacy, middle-class activism

state repression (police crackdown), weak regime legitimacy, digital mobilisation

framing

moral n religious appeals (eg “Am I not a man and a brother?”)

national identity, democracy, anti-corruption, EU integration

resource mobilisation

network of churches, donations for pamphlets, organised campaigns

social media crowdfunding, digital coordination, citizen-run kitchens and stations

outcome

passage of the 1807 Slave Trade Act; foundation for broader abolitionist movements

fall of Yanukovych govt, shift towards EU integrations, sparked ongoing conflict w Russie

what qualifies as a social movement?

  • Tilly & Tarrow (2015:11)

    • 1. sustained campaigns of claim-making

    • 2. an array of public performances inc marches, rallies, demonstrations, creation of specialised associations, public meetings, public statements, petitions, letter writing, lobbying

    • 3. repeated public displays of worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment by such means as wearing colours, marching in disciplined ranks, sporting badges that advertise the cause, displaying signs, chanting slogans, n picketing public buildings

    • 4. draw on the organisations, networks, traditions and solidarities that sustain these activities » social movement bases

repertoires

  • boycotts

  • petitions

  • public demonstrations

  • sit-ins

  • rent strikes

  • flashmobs

  • social media campaigns

  • effective repertoires are about borrowing but also novelty n innovations

explaining social movements: approaches

resource mobilisation

  • in response to social movements of the 1960s

  • resource mobilisation theorists attempt to explain why some ppl w grievances engage in social movements and others don’t

  • rationalist approach » ppl weigh up the potential costs n benefits of participation

  • ironically: the most deprived groups in society may be the least well placed to organise against their deprivation

  • oldest of the 3 approaches

  • mostly applied to social movements in the Global North

examples

  • Buser De and Kim (2016) » Indian middle class v important to movements against corruption, sexual violence etc » had better resources

  • Manky (2018) » militant leftist orgs provided foundation for subcontracted mineworkers’ unions in Chile

  • Eltantawy and Wiest (2011) » social media important for organisation n collective action

political opportunity structure

  • political opportunities are “those consistent - but not necessarily formal or permanent - of dimensions of the political environment that provide incentives for ppl to undertake collective action by affecting their expectations of success and failure” (Tarrow, 1998: 76-77)

  • 6 crucial properties of political regimes that should be considered (Tilly and Tarrow (2015:59)):

    • multiplicity of independent power centres

    • openness to new actors

    • instability of current political alignments

    • availability of influential allies or supporters

    • extent of repression/facilitation of collective claim making

    • decisive changes in the above

example

  • McAdam’s work on the development of the US Civil Rights movements

  • McAdam explained how opportunities open for African American’s mobilisation:

    • the collapse of the cotton economy of the US south and migration of African Americans north

    • declining numbers of lynchings, reducing the risk n cost of mobiliation

    • use of Brown v Board of Education to spur action

    • supports from POTUSes Kennedy n Johnson

    • mobilisation itself had a demonstration effect

  • the decline of the movement happened partly due to urban riots, which reduced support n increased repression

framing