Social Movements: A Theoretical Approach

✍ Scribed by Prof Dieter Rucht

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 321
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In Social Movements: A Theoretical Approach, Dieter Rucht offers a theoretically and historically informed approach to social movements as a phenomenon of modern societies. He links the analysis of social movements to general theories of society and processes of social change, and combines three basic perspectives: interactionist, constructivist, and process-oriented (ICP-approach).

Drawing mainly on ideas from Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu, and Anthony Giddens, Rucht recommends several revisions and highlights the important role of the public sphere as the central stage for social movements. He argues that it is a realm in its own right and the major domain in which social movements make themselves seen and heard, garner support, and possibly succeed in changing basic societal structures.

This comprehensive treatise analyzes the external and internal activities of social movements, the role of different kinds of opportunities and restrictions, collective identities and framing, organizing, networking, and strategizing. It lucidly examines the complexity of social movements that have a status as both actors and systems, and whose logic cannot be reduced to either strategic or communicative action.

✦ Table of Contents

cover
titlepage
copyright
Preface
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction to the Concept of Social Movement
1.1 An Episode in Light of a Theoretical Approach
1.2 Three Lenses to Look at Social Movements
1.3 Delineating the Object under Study
1.4 Frequently Asked Conceptual Questions
1.5 Summary
2 General Sociological Foundations
2.1 Three Problematic Dichotomies
2.2 Elements of a Theory of Society
2.3 Types of Social Action
2.4 Systems and Fields
2.5 Lifeworld
2.6 Exchanges between Systems and Lifeworld
2.7 The Public Sphere as a Third Domain
2.8 Excursus: Civil Society
2.9 Summary
3 Social Movements as Actors and Systems
3.1 The Status of Social Movements
3.2 Functions of Social Movements
3.3 Strategic and Communicative Action
3.4 Mobilizing and Protesting as Communication
3.5 Challenges Social Movements are Facing
3.6 Summary
4 The External Dimension
4.1 Staging Public Protest: Strategies and Tactics
4.2 Getting Public Attention and Support
4.3 Ideology and External Framing
4.4 Building Alliances
4.5 Protest Politics and Other Forms of Pressure
4.6 Power Of and Power Against Movements
4.7 Conflict Issues and Conflict Patterns
4.8 Summary
5 The Internal Dimension
5.1 Recruiting, Internal Mobilizing, Internal Framing
5.2 Structuring and Organizing
5.3 Collecting Information
5.4 Strengthening Collective Identity
5.5 Decision-making, Leadership, and Power in Movements
5.6 Summary
6 The Historical and Process Dimension
6.1 Insurgencies and Social Movements in a Long-term Perspective
6.2 Societal Formations and Social Movements
6.3 Social Movements in Transition Periods
6.4 Movement Dynamics and Waves
6.5 Linking the External and Internal Dimension
6.6 Summary
7 Outcomes of Social Movements
7.1 Conceptualizing Movement Outcomes
7.2 Explanatory Attempts and their Difficulties
7.3 The Micro-Macro Link to Explaining Social Change
7.4 Lessons for Theory Building and Methodology
7.5 Summary
8 Back to the Theoretical Approach
8.1 Toward the Integration of Three Perspectives
8.2 Putting the ICP-Approach into Perspective
8.3 Demands on the Researcher
8.4 Taking Stock: What Do We Know?
8.5 Tasks for Further Research
References
Index