Product Description
Social Movements is a comprehensive introduction and critical analysis of collective action in society today. In the latter part of the last century, social movements became a permanent feature of modern democracies. The students' and workers' protests of the 1960s have been followed by movements focusing on women's rights, ethnic identities, peace and environmental issues. This book draws on research and empirical work across the social sciences to address the key questions in this international field.

In this new edition, the authors have updated all chapters with the most recent literature, and expanded on topics such as individual motivations, new media, public policies, and governance. The book has also been redesigned to a more user-friendly format. More than ever, Social Movements is the ideal introduction for students of social movements within social and political science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Mostly Useful for European Studies
Despite the title, this book cannot really be considered an introduction to the field of social movement research, because it is more specialized than that. Della Porta and Diani are leading sociologists in the European university system, so movements in Europe become the natural focus of this book. This is especially useful if you have interests in European developments, both with social movements and the study thereof, plus unique Euro-politics in the areas of leftism and anarchism. Such material is often fascinating, especially in regards to the fall of the Iron Curtain in recent decades. But beware that this focus cannot be generalized to social movements in other regions of the world because of differing political and social climates - regardless of the authors' occasional attempts to bring examples from America and other regions into the text for comparison.

Note that the authors focus primarily on the "political opportunity structure" arm of social movement research. Once again this leads to quite informative results, except that other realms of knowledge in this field, especially framing and mobilization structures, are under-represented. Also beware of the final chapter which presents an attempt to wrap up (European) social movements into the greater scheme of things. Personal opinions seep into that chapter's coverage of feminist and women's movements, while the authors' theories on the continuities between successful movements and the growth of democracy is a purely European perspective, and even then it only applies to a few specific circumstances like Poland and Romania. One final issue with this book is the writing style, which often succeeds in drying out fascinating material with very tedious academic prose. This may be an issue with translation. [~doomsdayer520~]

Good introduction
They touch on a lot of recent work on social movements, and are good with many new concepts. But the book is not well written enough for undergrads.

More than a starting point
This book is not only a comprehensive introduction to the study of social movements; rather, it presents the "state of art" in the field. The Authors examine several theoretical approaches in a critical way,pointing out their possibilities and limitations. The own object of study-social movements- is examined from various perspectives, from their'reason de être' to their organizational form and political context.However, it is important to say that the reader will not find a theory ormodel declared to be "the winner" at any point of the book: theAuthors seem to be more concerned with raising questions than answeringthem. A very interesting book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Good Historical Overview, Marred at Times by Personal Views
I was lent a copy of Dr. Mich's Book by my undergraduate theology advisor in order to prepare a bit for a conference I was attending for the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the writing of Laborem Exercens.Unbeknownst to both me and my former advisor, Dr. Mich was attending the conference and was to give a brief lecture.Had I not met Dr. Mich and discussed several subjects about his book with him, I would be much more apt to give the text a 3 out of 5 for reasons discussed above.However, in the course of my questions and discussion with Dr. Mich, he helped to recant the reservations which I had about his views on some conservative and Papal view-points.

On a positive note, this text has a great review of hallmark texts and individuals in modern Catholic Social thought.It traces from the roots of Rerum Novarum through the publication of the book, including such contemporary topics as feminism and environmentalism.The earliest chapters are magnificent overviews of those individuals involved in work movements as well as theorists.Through the documents of the Second Vatican Council (primarily Gaudium et Spes), Dr. Mich remains relatively fair in his assessment of all sides of the situation.If there is one negative assessment here, it may be that there isn't as much reflection on the integration of Catholic Social Thought with the remainder of systematic theology.Nonetheless, these topics are covered with enough depth to introduce key players and events (both European and those in the Americas) but with enough brevity to allow the reader to quickly see the "big picture" of the development of Catholic Social Though.

My one major issue with this text, however, became more conspicuous as Dr. Mich covered the semi-tumultuous issues surrounding African-American integration into the American Church.An element of anti-institutionalism began to surface here by means of what seems to me to have been a disproportionately negative view of the Church based more on anecdotes and not the theological underpinnings of the Faith.Individual discrepancies at times become the lens through which he views the Church as a whole and nearly judges the Church's essence on this presupposition.While I thought this interpretation might be a bit over the top, his handling of Liberation theology, Feminism, Environmentalism, and the South American Episcopal Synod was more than slanted and belligerent toward the hierarchy of the church.This is particularly the case in the Synod and an NCCB document on women in the Church.Any imposition of authority from above is interpreted very unfairly without much positive consideration given to the accused parties.However, in conversation with the author, he did somewhat mediate the tone which I found to be a bit too acerbic in the text of the book.I can see where someone with more liberal-leaning tendencies would have a tone like that which he had and remain faithful to the Church.However, without the background gained by speaking with him, these comments are able to be understood in a context which is not anti-clerical, albeit a bit too democratic in ecclesiology.

With these things in mind, I still recommend the text highly.It provides a most excellent background into the first hundred years of major Catholic Social Thought and Action.However, the marring caused by the unfair slant of the author about more contemporary topics is lamentable to say the least.Because of personal discussion with Dr. Mich, I am able to place this text on an "above average" level of 4 stars.Even so, I have reservations both in the aforementioned tone as well as the weakly democratic ecclesiology which is concomitant with his sense of the hierarchy.

Five Stars - despite One Serious Fault
Oh Lord, what a mixture here of profound, profound value, heart and beauty ... and a frequent self-assured, polemical tone that, it seems to me, disserves the author's sincere, heartfelt intent.

Let me begin with the gold. The author cares, the author *obviously* cares about our world. Thus his book can serve to open one's heart to the terrible, terrible suffering of the victims of third world poverty, war, racism, unbridled capitalism and other contemporary evils, to the tragedy and horror that people are *really* experiencing - every moment of our lives.

Mich's compassionate concern for those who *really* suffer commands the deepest respect.

Joined to this, is his most thorough, well researched account of the last hundred and fifty years of Catholic response to social injustice. Mich's expansive, inclusive approach embraces both the Vatican's official teaching - and the many great figures of the lower clergy and laity who have often served to inspire the Popes.

His vivid writing brings a long forgotten history of heroic souls alive. He begins with the great nineteenth century Catholic figures who initially responded to the horrors of emerging capitalism, which led to the Papacy confronting the problem head-on.

And thus he continues through the twentieth century: skillfully interweaving grassroots Catholicism, with the great Papal documents challenging the tragedy of capitalism, poverty and more. The great Papal documents so few seem to know about, so often offering profound thinking and carefully considered alternatives ...

If Mich is very good on the history of Catholic thinking and action regarding social injustice, his consideration of the future is also often penetrating.Moreover his grasp not only of the the global crisis - but also the economic, political,cultural, environmental dynamics at its root, is often acute.

One can learn a great deal indeed from this book.

It is with deep regret then, that I turn to a less commendable aspect of Mich's otherwise very fine effort. I have in mind here, an editorializing tone that is frequently disingenuous.

Basically a set of opinions Mich holds about the Vatican - which of course he has every right to hold - seem to me to be subtly presented as though they were not *opinions*, but rather as *facts* -plain, straight facts, without nuance, without ambiguity.

To me, there seems to be little consciousness here as to why Catholics of a different persuasion might come to different conclusions to Mich. Thus, if the more traditional approach of the Vatican falls foul of Mich's view,its various efforts amount to `useless', `a crass violation' and so on - and are reduced to Vatican power politics and `phobia'. And like so many, Mich speaks of these matters as though they were simply facts to be accepted.

One particularly disingenuous example of what I mean occurs in the treatment of liberation theology. In a question for discussion given at the end of his chapter, Mich encourages readers to ponder `Why did the Vatican controlled leadership [of a Latin American conference] reject the experience based method of liberation theology and substitute a method that begins with the ... official ... teachings?'

But this is disingenuous, inasmuch as throughout the chapter, Mich has not allowed any other view than his own to surface. The reader who does not know better can only answer the question the way Mich has done. And Mich's answer boils down to this: the Vatican acted as it did out of fear and power-hunger. And apparently nothing else.

But there *are* other possible explanations. After long consideration of the matter,I am convinced of the aching heart of John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger who, like Mich, really cared.

And I am convinced they were certain that third world agony would not be helped by throwing out the baby with the bathwater ... That liberation theology would be stronger with a living, mystical Catholicism, rather than without it. This is not the place for further consideration of these matters, but further indications along these lines can be found elsewhere in my Amazon reviews.

My point is that the facts deserve deeper consideration than simply writing the Vatican off, as if it were just power-crazed. As if that was all there was to it. Although I sadly suspect this is what Mich sincerely believes - as do millions of other sincere, caring Catholics who haven't penetrated the immensely compassionate hearts of figures such as John Paul.

Yes, it is also true that Mich has many fine things to say about present Vatican policy - WHEN he agrees with it. Thus, for example, he deeply commends the Vatican's condemnation of modern capitalism and war.

It is only where he disagrees, that nuance, ambiguity and discussion disappear. When Mich disagrees, the Vatican is suddenly reduced to an ogre. Or so it seems to this reader.

This is sad, indeed. But it does not diminish the fact that this book is also filled with real heart, admirable scholarship, comprehensive documentation of the world's suffering and the response of the entire Catholic Church.

So, again: five stars. This is a great book. Very highly recommended.

Very Complete
This book is great.It explores the ideas of Catholic Social Teaching from not only the official papal encyclicals, but also from unofficial drafts of encyclicals, letters of the bishops, grass roots movements by lay Catholics, and the processes which all of these have gone through to be formed.Mich has done a thorough job and allows one to truly appreciate the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching that most people know so little about.It also opens up the doors to many currently hot topics and critiques what the church has done so far and where it could go in the future.A great book that anyone who has the time should read!

BEST KEPT SECRET
Though this is not a book I would normally read, I did enjoy it. It was assigned for a college course that I was taking. In the Introduction it states that the "social teachings" of the catholic church are itsbest kept secret and I agree. I never knew it had such a deep tradition insocial teachings. It goes back to 1848 and finishes off in 1992. I neverknew the history of the catholic church like it is shown here. It alsoillustrates the many roles activists played, many of them were women. Notonly does it show the history of the church, but it can help one to betterhandle their own situations in the present world and be strong. A book thatwill ope the eyes of many and be enjoyed by all. It is not just forCatholics, everyone should read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The history of the United States has arguably been a history of social movements striving for freedom, justice, equality, and a more perfect social order. Institutions and countermovements confront and sometimes suppress the dissatisfied to sustain the order already in place. Social movements form to champion innumerable causes: to end military conflicts, to protect the environment, to gain rights for animals, to halt legalized abortion, and to reduce the power of corporate, governmental, religious, and educational bureaucracies. Conflict over moral, religious, social, political, and economic values fuel social movements and countermovements. Globalization and the constantly increasing availability of electronic means of communication have spawned social movements to counter perceived threats to identity, values, and culture. Persuasion and Social Movements provides a solid foundation for understanding how people have collectively shaped society and where future efforts may lead. The authors skillfully weave current and historic examples to illustrate the many facets of social movement persuasion. The fifth edition contains new chapters on violence and terrorism. All chapters incorporate recent research and explore how new technologies have transformed the ways social movement organizations communicate with their audiences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Multi-faceted book
Decent book - especially since it seems to be one of the very few books on social movements from a persuasion/communication perspective.It provides definitions and more importantly case studies and real world examples.While from an academic perspective, I don't agree with many of the authors' definitions and find them circular or contradictory - it's a great base reading.

Mandatory reading for comm majors
I took quite a few communications classes and this was by far the best book I bought.I'm a vicious critic of that discipline as a whole, but this book was a welcome exception.

Note that I did not read the book cover to cover, just what was assigned in class which was about 1/2 the book.I keep meaning to come back to it, but life interferes. ... Read more

Product Description
Citing the critical importance of empirical work to social movement research, the editors of this volume have put together the first systematic overview of the major methods used by social movement theorists. Original chapters cover the range of techniques: surveys, formal models, discourse analysis, in-depth interviews, participant observation, case studies, network analysis, historical methods, protest event analysis, macro-organizational analysis, and comparative politics. Each chapter includes a methodological discussion, examples of studies employing the method, an examination of its strengths and weaknesses, and practical guidelines for its application.

Contributors: Kathleen M. Blee, Elisabeth S. Clemens, Donatella della Porta, Mario Diani, Martin D. Hughes, Hank Johnston, Ruud Koopmans, Paul Lichterman, Debra C. Minkoff, Daniel J. Myers, Pamela E. Oliver, Dieter Rucht, Jackie Smith, David A. Snow, Sidney Tarrow, Verta Taylor, Danny Trom.

Bert Klandermans is professor of applied social psychology at Free University, Amsterdam. Suzanne Staggenborg is professor of sociology at McGill University, Montreal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Research Methods Book
I used this book for a graduate level sociology class. It was easy to follow and it made research methods quite interesting. I am sure I will be referring back to this text in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
The Social Movements Reader, Second Edition, provides the most important and readable articles and book selections on recent social movements from around the world.

• With selected readings and editorial material this book combines the strengths of a reader and a textbook
  
• Reflects new developments in the study of social movements, both empirical and theoretical
  
• Provides original texts, many of them classics in the field of social movements, which have been edited for the non-technical reader
  
• Sidebars offer concise definitions of key terms as well as biographies of famous activists and chronologies of several key movements
  
• Requires no prior knowledge about social movements or theories of social movements

Customer Reviews (5)

The Social Movements Reader
This is a good collection of essays that were fairly interesting. Of course some essay were like chewing rocks, but the significant majority were interesting.

The Social Movements Reader
This is a very easy to read text and it is presented very clearly.Great choice by Professor.

purchased for a class
I had purchased this book for a class. The readings are very dry and hard to get through for that reason. While it is informative and occasionally interesting I would have not purchased idependently.

Useful reader for students and scholars
This edited volume brings together a rich collection of contemporary readings on social movements. The volume is organized around nine themes/questions central to sociological investigations of social movements. The readings within each section address a range of empirical cases, and are effectively edited to be accessible to a wide audience. Short introductions to each of the nine sections, as well as boxes highlighting key concepts and terms, will be especially helpful to students new to the field of social movements.

not so great
I bought this book since it seemed like a good overview of social movements. It turns out that it is a collection of a bunch of articles that are in all honesty not very interesting. I feel that the editor tried to do so much that he failed at doing anything with the book. ... Read more

Product Description
A brief, affordable introduction to collective behavior and social movements.
Award-winning sociologists David Snow and Sarah Soule draw from a broad range of theories including political sociology, theories of organizations, and the study of culture and social interaction to introduce the essential ideas for analyzing social movements.
... Read more

Product Description
Doug McAdam and David A. Snow's Social Movements: Readings on Their Emergence, Mobilization, and Dynamics is intended for use in courses on social movements, collective behavior, and political sociology.

The reader is distinctive in several respects:

* The book is organized sequentially and logically, to facilitate understanding of the dynamics of social movements--from their emergence, through the micromobilization process and tactical action, to outcomes and consequences. This reader is not wedded to a single approach, but exposes students to both resource mobilization and cultural thinking about social movements.

* Thought-provoking introductions to each section guide the reader and ease instruction by providing a modular "road map" that highlights key issues and the major contributions of each selection. This lends internal cohesiveness and structure to the articles.

* The book covers a wide range of social movements, including the civil rights, women's, pro-choice, and animal rights movements. Also included are works on other types of collective action, such as riots and revolution. A comprehensive appendix provides instructors with alternatives for using the selections.

* A significant number of articles in the book are devoted to gender and to cultural issues in relation to social movements.

The editors also acknowledge the international operation of social movements by including works from other cultural and national contexts, such as Chile, Germany, Iran, and the Netherlands.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Creating social movements from below
Though Raul Zibechi is one of Latin America's leading political theorists, this is the only English translation of any of his books and I'm extremely happy that AK Press chose to publish it. While most recent books on Bolivia focus primarily on the political career and personality of Evo Morales, this book focuses instead on the real social force in that country: the impoverished masses of indigenous Bolivians working to create a revolutionary society in the heart of Latin America. Taking us to the streets and plazas of Bolivia, Zibechi presents a political and historical analysis of the indigenous Aymara's social experiment with decentralized grassroots community self-management. Emphasing spontaneity, mutual aid, horizontal social organizing, participatory democracy, the dispersion of power, and a communitarian form of economic production, this movement offers left libertarian activists exciting new ideas about building community power and doing politics beyond the state. While I personally disagree with the Aymara people's model of community justice, I think it nevertheless poses interesting questions for prison abolitionists wanting to assist victims of crime without resorting to state intervention or vigilante violence. (Frankly, I think the restorative justice movement is our best alternative). In short, this is an excellent, highly informative, and thought-provoking book for Latin American solidarity activists and left libertarians wanting to learn more about contemporary social movements in Bolivia and the fascinating cosmovision of its indigenous people. ... Read more

Product Description
This activist tool offers a theoretial model for ensuring that social movements are successful in the long term. Beginning with an overview of social movement theory and the MAP (Movement Action Plan) model, Doing Democracy outlines the eight stages of social movements, the four roles of activists, and case studies from the civil rights, anti-nuclear energy, Central America, gay/lesbian, women's health and globalization movements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A must-read for activists
It is a practical guide to understanding movements, what are their stages and the role different people play on them.

If you are a social activist, please read this book
As a long time activist in drug policy reform and criminal justice reform, I have been aware that many of the movement leaders and the grass roots activists really don't know what they are doing.They know the facts of the issue, and they know that they need to get Congress and the state legislatures to change the laws, but they have an undeveloped and uninformed view of how toachieve the changes they are working for. Many of them don't realize that building a grass roots movement is essential.And many of those who know they are trying to mobilize a majority, aren't aware that their messages or tactics can often be counter-productive. This book brings a great deal of wisdom and clarity.

This easy-to-read book can help break down the confusion within the movement about the necessary, different roles people need to fill. Read this book and learn that different approaches are necessary to complement each other. This, hopefully, will minimize the uninformed arguments about strategy that we have engaged in. The lessons of this book lay the groundwork for fruitful discussions of what we can and should be doing.

This book provides a very valuable analysis of the stages that movements go through, on the way to success. The case histories teach, among other things, that the stages can overlap.

This book is grounded in the tradition of nonviolent social action.It is remains idealistic in the best sense, and is not cynical.

Eric E. Sterling
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation

Extraordinary Strategic/Tactical Guide for People Power

This book is both a strategic orientation to, and a tactical primer on, how to develop and manage non-violent social movements at the grassroots or "people power" level.

The reason this book is important is because it solves the most important problem or gap facing all social movements:the lack of strategic models and methods that help activists understand, plan, conduct, and evaluate their social movements.I have read this book from cover to cover and it fulfills the objective.Had Howard Dean and Joe Trippi read this book six months ago, they would not have blown the lead and come in a sorry fourth (less than half of what Kerry had, less than a quarter Kerry and Edwards combined), to guys that did *not* figure out MoveOn.org and the Internet as a collective consciousness tool.

This is among the most heavily marked up books I have read in the past four years, and instead of summarizing it in detail, which may cause some of you to avoid buying it, I will simply endorse the primary author's view that social movements are needed now more than ever, for the simple reason that the powerholders are making life on the planet unsustainable--everything they do (think Dick Cheney here) to increase profits, control, and power, is also "increasing unemployment, the gap between rich and poor, violence, ecological collapse, and unsustainability".

There are four aspects of the book that are especially valuable as we all find ourselves in a "world war" between fundamentalist groups (both Islamic and extremist Americans of the religious right falling prey to neo-conservative doctrine) and progressive individuals seeking the common good:

1) the author's focus on sub-movements, on creating a strategic campaign that specifically embraces each sub-movement as a distinct but coordinated element, is the "aha" factor in leaping forward.

2) the author's specific discussion of negative rebels and how much harm they can do to the larger movement is compelling, to the point of actually suggesting that we need to create a counterintelligence service within social movements to address this.The few violent protesters in Seattle got all the media coverage, and the non-violent mass lost a great deal of credit.

3) the eight-stages of social movements are extremely detailed and the case studies help to explain why the "slump" must be overcome in the fifth stage, when success has been achieved but there is a perception of failure.

4) the importance of having an economic strategy for where the social movement's vision needs to go, is not understood by most presidential candidates.This book is valuable to anyone who would be president, or senator,for it explains not only how to organize and lead a social movement, but how to govern resources to its desired ends after the fact of victory.Real world budgeting is a neglected aspect of leadership during the electoral process.

I would say that this book (together with Tom Atlee's "The Tao of Democracy: Using CO-INTELLIGENCE to create a world that works for all"), is core reading for anyone interested in saving his or her neighborhood, his or her country, or the world at large.The primary and secondary authors are also to be commended for making the point that it is possible to be effective *regardless of who is President or what party is in charge in the capitol*--they emphasize local grass-roots effectiveness that is non-partisan.

Juliette Beck and Nancy Gregory make contributions that should have been acknowledged on the cover.Juliette Beck especially, with her focus on globalization and the sub-movements and stages of the aggregate movement, provides a most satisfactory case study that concludes the book.

Excellent -- How to really DO Democracy!
If you want to make the world a better place, buy this book.

Based on his years of experience, Bill Moyer knows how to design effective nonviolent social change movements that can challenge entrenched power, overcome resistance, and implement positive alternatives. Moyer explains how grassroots democracy really works and shows how to build powerful change movements that uphold widely held values like honesty, democracy, fairness, compassion, and protection of the envionment. He also shows how conventional politics meshes with grassroots organizing.

The section on how Moyer's ideas fit in with the sociology and polictical science literature is easy to read and interesting. The current scholarly literature on social change movements is quite meager and Moyer's model makes a big contribution to change theory.

Finally, the examples at the end of the book are enlightening and heartening.

Read this book and then go out and make the world better! ... Read more

Product Description
Social movements around the world have used a wide variety of protest tactics to bring about enormous social changes, influencing cultural arrangements, public opinion, and government policies in the process. This concise yet in-depth primer provides a broad overview of theoretical issues in the study of social movements, illustrating key concepts with a series of case studies. It offers engaging analyses of the protest cycle of the 1960s, the women's movement, the gay and lesbian rights movement, the environmental movement, the new American right, and the global justice movement. Author Suzanne Staggenborg examines these social movements in terms of their strategies and tactics, the organizational challenges they faced, and the roles that the mass media and counter-movements played in determining their successes and failures. Ideal as a core text for courses in social movements/collective behavior and political sociology/social change, Social Movements is brief enough to be easily supplemented by a reader containing primary documents. ... Read more

Product Description
It is widely recognized that social movements may spread - or "diffuse" - from one site to another. Such diffusion, however, is a complex and multidimensional process that involves different actors, networks, and mechanisms. This complexity has spawned a large body of literature on different aspects of the diffusion process, yet a comprehensive framework remains an elusive target. This book is a response to that need, and its framework focuses on three basic analytical questions. First, what is being diffused? This question directs attention to both the protest repertoires and interpretive frames that actors construct to define issues and mobilize political claims. Second, how does diffusion occur? This book focuses attention on the activist networks and communication channels that facilitate diffusion, including dialogue, rumors, the mass media, the internet, NGOs, and organizational brokers. Finally, what is the impact of diffusion on organizational development and shifts in the scale of contentious politics? This volume suggests that diffusion is not a simple matter of political contagion or imitation; rather, it is a creative and strategic process marked by political learning, adaptation, and innovation. ... Read more

Product Description
Over the past two decades, the study of social movements has emerged as one of the largest, most intellectually vibrant subfields in American sociology. A comprehensive and timely anthology, Readings on Social Movements: Origins, Dynamics, and Outcomes, Second Edition, features the most salient research and articles available on the subject.

Edited by Doug McAdam and David A. Snow, the text organizes the readings by theory and concept to mirror the temporal unfolding of social movements (emergence, mobilization, dynamics, and outcomes). The book also places a unique emphasis on the overall "success" of a movement, thereby teaching students various ways in which to contextualize critical material.

The second edition includes eighteen new readings on social movements outside of the United States, as well as thirty-four brand-new selections, twenty-six of which have been published since 2000. New topics include: the role of emotion, narrative, and "identity work" and "collective identity" in social movements; work at the intersection of the sociology of law and social movements; transnational movements; Islamic fundamentalism; and the "policing of protest".

Other distinctive features of the second edition include:

* A general introduction to social movements
* Expert introductions framing each section
* A combined reference section
* An index
* An "Alternative Uses Grid" grouping the selections according to additional topics and conceptual themes

A wide-ranging, authoritative compilation by two of the best scholars in the field, Readings on Social Movements, Second Edition, is ideal for courses in social movements and collective behavior. ... Read more

Product Description
The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements is a compilation of original, state-of-the-art essays by internationally recognized scholars on an array of topics in the field of social movement studies.

• Contains original, state-of-the-art essays by internationally recognized scholars
  
• Covers a wide array of topics in the field of social movement studies
  
• Features a valuable introduction by the editors which maps the field, and helps situate the study of social movements within other disciplines
  
• Includes coverage of historical, political, and cultural contexts; leadership; organizational dynamics; social networks and participation; consequences and outcomes; and case studies of major social movements
  
• Offers the most comprehensive discussion of social movements available

Product Description
Although the fields of organization theory and social movement theory have long been viewed as belonging to different worlds, recent events have intervened, reminding us that organizations are becoming more movement-like and volatile and politicized while movements are more likely to borrow strategies from organizations. Topics covered in this volume range from globalization and transnational social movement organizations to community recycling programs. ... Read more

Product Description
The contest to shape global governance is increasingly being conducted on a number of levels and among a diverse set of actors. This book argues that increasing engagement between international institutions and sectors of civil society is producing a new form of international organization. The authors study the relationship between the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organisation, and environmental, labor, and women's movements, providing a rich analysis of the institutional response to social movement pressure. ... Read more

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Product Description
Music and song are central to modern culture--social movements to cultural change.Building on their studies of the sixties culture and the theory of cognitive praxis, the authors examine the mobilization of cultural traditions and the formation of new collective identities through the music of activism.Specific chapters examine American folk and country music, black music, music of the sixties, and the transfer of the American experience to Europe. This highly readable book is among the first to link social movement and cultural theory. ... Read more

Product Description
Cultural changes over the past two decades have led to a proliferation of new social movements in Europe and the United States. New social movements such as ecology, peace, ethnicity, New Age philosophies, alternative medicine, and gender and sexual identity are among those that are emerging to challenge traditional categories in social movement theory. Synthesizing classic and modern perspectives, the contributors help to redefine the field of social movements and advance an understanding of them through cross-cultural research, comparison with older movements, and an examination of the dimensions of identity individual, collective, and melding of the two. Enrique Larana is Titular Professor of Sociology at the University of Madrid, Spain. Hank Johnston is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at San Diego State University. Joseph R. Gusfield is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Useful, especially if you don't find Tillyesque theorizing too annoying
This book summarizes eighty years of popular struggles in El Salvador.For those who made some effort to learn about the country when it was in the news (and the crosshairs of the Reagan administration) probably the most revealing sections are those describing the wave of protest in the late sixties (which spawned the mass organizations that became radicalized during the seventies) and the most recent wave of protests, the 2002 mobilizations opposing the privatization of the health care system.The uprising of the 1930s that was crushed by the 'Matanza', and the revolutionary wave of the late seventies and early eighties are likely to be more familiar.
Almeidahas a lot of history to get through, so, inevitably, the book is a little weak on the lively anecdote or detailed analysis of consciousness. At times I found this frustrating, at others I was impressed by what he managed to include.For example, I was interested to learn that the Sandinista triumph in Nicaragua helped galvanize the Salvadoran left into unifying.Almeida's theoretical frame for understanding the waves of protest draws heavily on the 'opportunity structure' rhetoric of Charles Tilly and his followers.As he notes, this theorizing is largely based on investigations of social movements in the wealthier countries.They emphasize the way more institutional access to government and electoral opportunities tends to spur the growth of movements, and he finds this to be the case.But looking at El Salvador, he also emphasizes the role of 'threat' in spurring mobilization.If organizations already exist, and the government becomes more repressive, their outlook may radicalize, and protest may intensify.This is basically what happened in 1931-32 and 1976-1981.This is good as it goes, but it is a little mechanistic--it feels at times that protests are just generated and repressed based on external factors.Fortunately, Almeida's skills as a historian frequently exceed the limits of this framework.
I would have liked to hear more both about the ways in which these protest movements related to trends in the wider world and the ways they relate to each other over time.Regarding the former, he talks about the way in which the 1930s mobilization related to the global picture, but, surprisingly, this is almost completely absent from the analysis of the sixties explosion, part of a worldwide wave of protest.As for the latter, the question of how actors understand their relationship to previous waves,this question seems particularly relevant and underexplored for the most recent wave (again, the 2002 protests).I've heard that, as in many countries, including neighboring Nicaragua, the end of the civil war helped unleash considerable resentment on the left about the ways the Leninist FMLN controlled movement organizations.This is in line with trends through Latin America, and, indeed, the world.At the same time, the FMLN has emerged as a credible electoral challenger--again, compared to Nicaragua, where the Sandinistas won national elections, but have completely distanced themselves from their revolutionary heritage, it seems like it has not entirely lost its way.The sorts of debates that are undoubtedly developing about these questions are largely absent from the text.Still, it should be emphasized that Almeida covers a lot of ground already, and the book is well worth reading.If you are a veteran of CISPES, and want to learn more about the long term history of El Salvador, consider adding it to your reading list.And if you are a student of social movements, you should probably read it too, because Almeida is right, that literature is much too heavily weighted towards the US and Western Europe. ... Read more

Product Description
During the last decade, Latin American social movements have brought about a profound transformation in the nature and practice of protest and collective action. This book surveys the full spectrum of movements in Latin America today, focusing on three dimensions of change commonly attributed to them: their role in forging collective identities; their innovative social practices and political strategies; and their actual or potential contributions to alternative visions of development and to the democratization of political institutions and social relations. LONG DESCRIPTION BEGINS HERE ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A complicated read, but worth it
Needed the book for grad school.It was in good shape and a little more complex than other books by the same author.However, this is a helpful book for anyone studying Latin American anthro. ... Read more