Social Movements And Protest Politics

Explains the character of contemporary protest politics through a micro-mobilization analysis of participation in street demonstrations.

"This fully revised and updated edition of Social Movements and Protest Politics provides interdisciplinary perspectives on the sociology of protest movements. It considers major theories and concepts, which are presented in a clear, accessible, and engaging format. The second edition contains new chapters on methods and ethics of social movement research, and legal mobilization, protest policing and criminal justice activism, including calls to abolish or defund police made at protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. This edition also introduces readers to the concept of the 'post-protest society' wherein the right to protest is whittled away to near vanishing point and authorities have considerable legal recourse to ban protests and render the tactics of protest movements ineffective. This edition also looks at recent developments and novel protest movements, including Black Lives Matter, Extinction Rebellion, Gilets Jaunes, #MeToo and Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement, as well as the rise of contemporary forms of populism in democratic societies. The book presents specific chapters outlining the early origins of social movement studies and more recent theoretical and conceptual developments. It considers key ideas from resource mobilization theory, the political process model and new social movement approaches. It provides extensive commentary on the role of culture in social protest (including visual images, emotions, storytelling, music, and sport), religious movements, geography and struggles over space, media and movements, and global activism. Historical and contemporary case studies and examples from a variety of countries are provided throughout, including the American civil rights movement, Greenpeace, Pussy Riot, indigenous peoples' movements, liberation theology, Indignados, Occupy, Tea Party, and Arab Spring. Each chapter also contains illustrations and boxed case studies to demonstrate the issues under discussion. Social Movements and Protest Politics will be an indispensable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the social sciences and humanities wanting to be introduced to or extend their knowledge of the field. The book will also prove useful to university teachers and academic researchers, activists and practitioners interested in the study of social, cultural, and political protest"--

This lively textbook integrates theory and methodology and includes contemporary examples, case studies and debates to encourage critical engagement.

The Tea Party. The Occupy Movement. Idle No More. Around the world, popular social movements are challenging the status quo. Yet most democracies are seeing a decline in voter turnout. Protest and Politics examines this shift in political participation, as well as the blurring of social movements and mainstream politics, through the lens of the social movement society thesis. Analyzing historical and contemporary social movements in Canada in comparison to those in the US and in the transnational sphere, the authors argue that our understanding of the boundaries between politics and protest needs to evolve.

Political protest and social movements are ubiquitous phenomena. This book focuses on the current theoretical approaches that aim at explaining them: the theory of collective action, the resource mobilization perspective, political opportunity structure theory, the identity approach, the framing perspective, and the dynamics of contention approach. The book has three objectives: (1) Many basic concepts like political opportunities or identity are not clearly defined. It is further often a matter of interpretation what factors are supposed to affect which phenomena. The first aim is therefore to provide a detailed introduction to and a clear restatement of the theories. Only then is it possible to assess and improve them. (2) For each theory the major strengths and weaknesses are discussed, and various modifications and extensions are suggested. (3) Building on these analyses, it is shown how the theories can be integrated into a single theoretical paradigm: the structural-cognitive model.

This is a useful book and an important contribution to the literature on social movements and civil society. . . It will be very helpful for those who understand social movement theory but need an orientation to developing societies. . . This book will also be useful to advanced graduate students in sociology, economics, and political science. The case studies could be excellent teaching tools. This would be a good text for a course on social movements. Protests and Social Movements in the Developing World will add new dimensions to your work on social movements. It is a book that every social movement scholar will want on their bookshelf. John McNutt, Voluntas Protest and Social Movements in the Developing World is aimed at scholars and social movement activists. Its innovative framework brings a fresh angle to the academic debate on social movements, whilst its meticulous empirical detail will appeal to those involved in a wide variety of social movements. In this sense, Protest and Social Movements in the Developing World will enjoy a warm reception amongst its target audience. . . A useful book for those already well versed in this field. World Entrepreneurship Society Shinichi Shigetomi and Kumiko Makino have produced an important book, global in scope and incisive in its analysis of social movements in different parts of the world. It will be a major resource for scholars everywhere. James Midgley, University of California, Berkeley, US In this insightful book, the contributors focus on the impact of contextual factors on social movements in the developing world, pushing major existing theories beyond their traditional focus. With wide coverage of the developing world, leading academics explore a variety of forms and mechanisms of social movement. They present discussions on resource and institutional endowment for mobilization in Colombia and Thailand, and explore the structure behind political opportunities in Argentina, China and South Africa. The history and reality of identity-making in India, Mexico and Nigeria are also examined. Presenting novel analytical frameworks to study social movements in developing countries, this book will be warmly welcomed by academics and researchers with an interest in sociology, development and political science. It will also strongly appeal to social movement activists.

Protest, Activism, and Social Movements is a thematic overview of the study of social movements in Canada, covering key topics such as framing, identity, tactics, repression, digital media, and globalization. With an engaging narrative style, case studies, and empirical examples from Canadianand global movements that are solidly grounded in theory, this text brings the passion and potential of social movements to life for Canadian students.

People protest to try to change the world, because they think they can help change the world, and sometimes they do. But not by themselves, and generally not just how and when they want. This incisive book explains how groups of ordinary individuals can affect the world, what makes it possible when it works, and why it sometimes doesn't go to plan. Digging into previous scholarship on social movements, David S. Meyer looks at the origins of social movements, how they contrast with revolutionary campaigns, and assesses the periodic influence of activists on politics, policy, culture, and the way people live their lives. He concludes by stressing the narratives about political change that activists construct and the power that lies in these stories. With sharp insight and a wealth of intriguing cases, this book offers a fuller understanding of the politics and potential payoffs of protest politics.​