thinking about social movements

1) a definition: conscious, concerted, and relatively sustained efforts by organized groups of ordinary persons to change some aspect of their society by extrainstitutional means

2) a puzzle about social movements: they are ubiquitous, but the 'success' rate is rather low. How to explain/think about this puzzle:

a) rational choice approach and the ‘free rider’ problem

b) symbolic interactionism, social networks, and the intrinsic rewards of participation

c) conflict theory and mass revolt

d) functionalism, moral economy, violated norms of fairness, and correcting social ills

3) a rough history of social movements:

--1000-1800: religious revivals, riots

--1800-1999: demands for inclusion/CITIZENSHIP TYPE MVTS

--1850-1999: demands for extension of rights to others

--POST-CITIZENSHIP MVTS

--"new social mvts"

4) the collective behavior approach:

--violation of shared norms concerning distribution of resources

--relative deprivation / rising expectations / status inconsistency

--notion of “moral economy”

5) the resource mobilization approach:

--grievances are always latently present

--stress on mvt entrepreneurs, and adjusting participants' payoffs to make them commit to the movement through "selective incentives"

6) problems with the collective behavior approach:

--ignores the free rider problem

--ignores organizational constraints on movement success

--ignores the relevance of outside developments for creating opportunities

--ignores the power of symbols in crystallizing mvts

7) problems with the resource mobilization approach:

--failure to take account of people's moral outrage

--failure to recognize independent power of symbols

--treats followers as dupes

--ignores the relevance of outside developments for creating opportunities

8) ways to link collective behavior and resource mobil’n approaches: david snow’s "frame alignment processes"

bridging: 'you may be like us'

amplification: 'let us remind you of who you are'

extension: 'we can fit who you are'

transformation: 'it's not what you think'

9) review of civil rights movement story in chapter 21: 'stages of movement development'

--application to civil rights movement

--application to recent anti-WTO rallies(?)