About Social Movements

2. Social Movements
SM are conscious concerted & sustained efforts by
ordinary people to change some aspect of their society by
using extra-institutional means.
More conscious & organized than fads or fashions
Last longer than single protests or riots

3. Political or Social Protests
Protest refers to the why of challenging, resisting or
making demands upon authorities, power holders &/or
cultural beliefs & practices by some individual or group

5. Why Study Social Movements?
To comprehend the human condition & human diversity
To understand social problems, political viewpoints or
social change
To understand human behavior (group cooperation)
(SM were not studied, rather they were feared until the
1960s when the elite class began to sympathize w/ the
repressive conditions Southern blacks faced)

6. Revolutionary Movement
A SM that seeks, at minimum, to overthrow the
government or state, & perhaps to change the economy &
key institutions of the entire society

7. When & Why do Social
Movements Occur?
"Movements almost always emerge unexpectedly, even
though they appear inevitable in hindsight.”

8. When & Why do SM Occur
(cont.)
1. Political Reasons
2. Economic Reasons
3. Organizational conditions
4. Demographic conditions
5. Cultural factors
They need:
1. Organizations, or social ties (network)
2. Mobilization
3. Emotion (ideas)

9. When & Why do SM Occur
(cont.)
Relative Deprivation: People typically become angry
and feel their situation is unjust when there is a
significant difference between the conditions in their
lives and their expectations.
Standards based on relative expectations we’ve
come to hold, not an “absolute standard.”

10. Who Joins or Supports Social
Movements?
1. Selective incentives
2. Biographic availability
3. Knowing a participant already involved in the movement (#1
predictor)
*Framing: For people to be attracted to join & to remain committed
to a movement, it's issues must be presented or "framed" so that
they fit or resonate w/ the beliefs, feelings & desires of potential
recruits.
-ex: Collective Identity

11. Free Rider Problem
Groups of individuals w/ common interests usually attempt to
further those common interests much as single individuals are
often expected to act on behalf of their personal interests.
Group Theory: The idea that groups tend to act in support of
their group interests is suppose to follow logically from this
widely accepted premise of rational, self-interested behavior
- ex: Patriotism/Am. Government
The achievement of any common goal or the satisfaction of any
common interest means that a public or collective good has
been provided for that group (common= no one in the group is
excluded from the benefit or satisfaction brought about by its
achievement)
(An individual benefits whether he participates or not)

12. Moral Shocks
Something that happens in the course of daily life that
distresses, surprises & outrages us.
Examples:
A loved one is killed by a drunk driver
We read a political pamphlet on a particular issue
Construction on a nuclear power plant begins down the street
from your house

13. …A Tie In…(soul cravings
are everywhere)
An excerpt taken from The Social Movement Reader:
Cases and Concepts:
“Protest is no longer seen as compensating for some
deficiency, but as part of an effort to impose meaning to the
world, to define and pursue common interests, to forge a
personal and collective identify and to create or reinforce affect
bonds with others (pg. 56-57).”

14. Who Remains, Who Drops Out
& Why?
“Commitment to a cause or group is simultaneously
cognitive, affective and moral (pg. 101).”
Beliefs
Feelings
Moral Judgments
Collective Identity: feeling part of a broader group can be
exhilarating, providing a major incentive for collective
action

15. How are Movements
Organized?
The changing perception from “disorganized & isolated” to
“formal & well-integrated” – 1960’s
SMO: Social Movement Organization
SMO’s vary in their degree of organization depending
upon the issue, time period and degree of involvement
from its participants
Participatory Democracy (pg. 157)

16. If you joined a movement, what type of
organization would you find appealing?

17. What Do Movements Do?
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this
struggle
of the African people. I have fought against white
domination;
I have fought against black domination. I have
cherished
the ideal of a democratic and free society in which
all persons
live together with harmony and with equal
opportunities.
It is an ideal I hope to live for and to achieve. But if
needs be,
it is an ideal in which I am prepared to die.