Social Movements

1

• Social Movements
• Session 17

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Major Social Movements in the United States

• Abolitionist
• Populist
• Womens Suffrage Movement
• Civil Rights Movement

3
Major Social Movements in the United States

• Anti-War Movement
• Womens Movement
• Environmental Movement
• Religious Right
• Anti-globalization

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Explanations for Why Social Movements Begin

• Pluralist Theory (again)
• . . . the political system is open and responsive
• Conclusion Operating outside the system isnt
  rational or necessary (or very smart!)
• Social movements begin because of structural
  strain on society that has a disruptive effect
  for example, industrialization, urbanization, or
  a rapid rise in unemployment

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• Collective Behavior Theory When changes are
  sufficiently extreme social movements form.
• Mass Society Theory Tensions that come from
  social isolation in the absence of networks that
  connect people produces feelings of alienation
  and anxiety. This motivates people to engage in
  extreme behavior.
• Relative Deprivation Theory Poor conditions or
  deprivation dont lead people to rebel unless
  they observe another more privileged class or
  society.

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• Common Elements
• A collective reaction to some form of disruptive
  system strain.
• Social movements are motivated by the psychology
  of individuals
• Participants have shared grievances
• Participation is not based as much on the desire
  to attain political goals as it is on the need to
  have some release from social strain and a sense
  of community

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• Shortcomings of the earlier understanding of
  social movements
• Social strain is a constant and is a necessary
  but not a sufficient condition
• Context?
• Protest participants are characterized as
  marginal psychologically or socially
• Goals of social movements and their participants
  were somehow different from other political
  groups
• Designed to explain short term unconventional
  political behavior

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Resource Mobilization Theory

• Elite Theory (again)
• . . . the political arena is restricted to
  certain groups
• Conclusion The behavior of activists is a
  rational response to the harsh realities of a
  closed system
• grievances are constant, resources vary
• the movement receives support from non-members
• existing organizations are a central resource
• Social Movement A set of opinions and beliefs
  in a population that represents preferences for
  changing some element of the social structure
  and/or reward distribution in society.

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Political Process Theory

• Elite Theory
• . . . changes in power distributions are
  inevitable
• Elites resist the movements demands and cant be
  expected to contribute support in the form of
  resources
• Movement success depends on the resources of the
  group and the external environment
• Psychological element Cognitive Liberation

10
Group Consciousness
identification with a group and a political
awareness or ideology regarding the groups
relative position in society

• Group Identification perceived self location
  within a group
• Polar Affect
• Polar Power
• System versus
• Individual
• Blame

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Presidential Administrations

• Political Opportunity Structures
• Changes in party control of government, emerging
  directions in public policy, waves of public
  attention and media attention
• Johnson, Reagan, and the Poverty Movement
• Rhetoric, welfare
• reform, and
• cutbacks in federal
• agency funding for
• poverty organizations