Social Movements: Identity, Culture, and the State

Book Overview

Why do social movements take the forms they do? How do activists' efforts and beliefs interact with the cultural and political contexts in which they work? Why do activists take particular strategic paths, and how do their strategies affect the course and impact of the movement? Social Movements aims to bridge the gap between "political opportunities" theorists who look at the circumstances and effects of social movement efforts and "collective identity theorists" who focus on the reconstruction of meaning and identity through collective action. The volume brings together scholars from a variety of perspectives to consider the intersections of opportunities and identities, structures and cultures, in social movements. Representing a new generation of social movement theory, the contributors build bridges between political opportunities and collective identity paradigms, between analyses of movements' internal dynamics and their external contexts, between approaches that emphasize structure and those that emphasize culture. They cover a wide range of case studies from both the U.S. and Western Europe as well as from less developed countries. Movements include feminist organizing in the U.S. and India, lesbian/gay movements, revolutionary movements in Burma, the Philippines, and Indonesia, labor campaigns in England and South Africa, civil rights movements, community organizing, political party organizing in Canada, student movements of the left and right, and the Religious Right. Many chapters also pay explicit attention to the dynamics of gender, race, and class in social movements. Combining a variety of perspectives on a wide range of topics, the contributors' synthetic approach shifts the field of social movements forward in important new directions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195143566
• ISBN13: 9780195143560
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Praise for Social Movements

"An important collection, integrating studies of consciousness, collective identity and culture with studies of state and organizational structure and strategy. Each chapter marks an advance in our understanding of social movements."--Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University"This wonderful book is a vital step forward in the building of social movement theory."--Mary Katzenstein, Professor of Government and Women's Studies, Cornell University"Meyer, Whittier, and Robnett call for a collective response to the gaps in social movement research today, offering bridges between sociologists and political scientists. Rarely have I read so well integrated a set of papers on so broad a theme in social movement research."-Sidney Tarrow, Maxwell Upson Professor of Governmetn, Cornell University"This wide-ranging and thoughtful collection is a showcase for the talents of a younger generation of social movement scholars. It bodes well for the future of the field."--William A. Gamson, Professor of Sociology, Boston College"Meyer, Whittier, and Robnett have compiled a stimulating, rich, and theoretically groundbreaking set of articles. This is 'must reading' for anyone interested in theoretical advances and shifts taking place in the social movement field."--Verta Taylor, Professor of Sociology, Ohio State University