Peace Movement Organizations And Activists In The U S

Here is the most comprehensive compilation and analytic classification of book-length publications on the immense upwelling of peace activism that occurred in the United States during the 1980's. It is an indispensable reference addition to the bookshelf of all researchers of peace movements in the United States. Focusing on the post-World War II years with particular attention to the 1980's, this volume is an extensive bibliography of books categorized into six categories by theory: "transcenders, educators, intellectuals, politicians, protestors, and prophets." Peace Movement Organizations and Activists in the United States: An Analytic Bibliography is an indispensable tool for researchers and students of peace movements from several disciplines including history, political science, security studies, sociology, and international relations.

In November 1969 tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on Washington, D.C., to protest U.S. involvement in Vietnam. For four days they marched, sang, and made speeches calling for an end to the war; then they dispersed. Who were these people and what brought them together? Who was in charge and what did they hope to accomplish? What real effect did the event have on public opinion or foreign policy? In The American Peace Movement: Ideals and Activism, Charles Chatfield explores such questions as they relate to the peace movement from the early nineteenth century up to the present. Combining a broad historical scope with a sociological perspective, the study examines the movement as a social process--an interaction of organizations, strategies, and goals. Chatfield analyzes public attitudes toward peace, war, and foreign policy, and the shifting constituencies of the various peace coalitions as the movement responded to specific challenges of the international situation. Detailed portrayals of events, goals, strategies, and leaders help bring the story of the peace movement vividly to life.

This book explores the movement experience of thirty Colorado peace activists, whose names are changed to conceal their identities. It provides a brief summary of the main currents of collective action theory, noting some of the existing research about participation in social movements.

The authorative and richly detailed handbook is divided into three parts: (1) procedures for studying SMOs; (2) propositions or generalizations about them; and (3) perspectives or wider considerations relating to them. Included are discussions of such basic questions as: What causes SMOs and why do people join them? What are the beliefs and practices of SMOs? What effect do SMOs have, and what are the social reactions to them?

As peace activists have faced increased government repression and accusations of being unpatriotic since 9/11, Toussaint examines how current attempts to control dissent impact the peace movement. This study offers an analysis of self-identified peace activists in terms of their demographic characteristics, motivation for activism, political opportunities, and views of the peace movement. It also discusses the processes involved in successfully mobilizing an increasingly diverse constituency and how broad-based support can be sustained beyond reacting to crises.

During war, space for debate shrinks. Narrow ideas of patriotism and democracy marginalize and silence opposition to militarism abroad and repression at home. Although powerful, these ideas encounter widespread resistance. Analyzing the official statements of 15 organizations from 1990-2005, the authors show that the U.S. peace movement strongly contested taken-for-granted assumptions regarding nationalism, religion, security, and global justice. Contesting Patriotism engages cutting-edge theories in social movements research to understand the ways that activists promote peace through their words. Concepts of culture, power, strategy, and identity are used to explain how movement organizations and activists contribute to social change. The diversity of organizations and conflicts studied make this book a unique and important contribution to peace building and to social movements scholarship.

Chronicles the efforts of anti-war activists throughout history from the Revolutionary War to the recent conflict in Iraq.

Organizing for Peace skillfully compares and analyzes the three major campaigns of the peace movement in the United States since World War I - the Emergency Peace Campaign (1936-1937), the Atomic Test Ban Campaign (1957-1963), and the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign (1979-1986). Kleidman shows how the campaigns organizational dynamics shaped their rise, course, fall, and impact both on public policy and on the peace movement itself. But as Kleidman points out, the three groups failed despite widespread mobilization and intense activism. Combining careful historical research with insights from contemporary social movement theory, this book sheds new light on the campaigns and the peace movement, as well as on key aspects of social movement organizations, cycles, and trends. Particularly valuable for policy and analysis is Kleidman's framework of organizational tensions. Social scientists and historians, particularly students and scholars of social movements and peace movements, will value the policy implications and analytical rigor of this book.