Why Some Yes and Others No? Explaining the Emergence of Collective Action in Yemen and the Status Quo in Algeria, in the Light of Social Movement Theory

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscilla Álamos-Concha
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
The Status

scholarly journals Genocide as Contentious Politics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliza Luft
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Contentious Politics ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Final Version ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Convergence And Divergence

Preprint, final version in Sociology Compass available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soc4.12304/fullDespite a recent turn towards the study of political violence within the field of contentious politics, scholars have yet to focus their lens on genocide. This is puzzling, as the field of collective action and social movements was originally developed in reaction to fascism (Nazism in particular), while research on collective action and research on genocide has long shown parallel findings and shared insights. This paper reviews the history of this scholarly convergence and divergence, and suggests that recent findings of research on genocide can be improved by the consideration of concepts from social movements and collective action. It then details three theories of the micro-mechanisms that mobilize individuals for contention – framing, diffusion, and networks – and specifies how they refine existing explanations of civilian participation in genocide. In the conclusion, I suggest that a contentious politics approach to genocide would consider it one form of collective action among others, analyzable within the existing framework of collective action and social movement theory.

Collective Action and Mobilization in Dar'a: An Anatomy of the Onset of Syria's Popular Uprising

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinoud Leenders
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Labor Migration ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
Important Sense ◽  
Different Origins

This article addresses how and why the popular mobilization in Syria took off in the "peripheral" Dar'a region. Accordingly, it focuses on the province's dense social networks involving clans, labor migration, cross-border movements, and crime. It argues that Dar'a's social networks were important early in Syrian protest for several reasons: (1) They served as sites where nonconforming views on Ba'ath subordination could develop and be shared. (2) They contributed to the transfer, circulation, and interpretation of information whereby the shifting opportunities emanating from events in the region were recognized and the regime's threats were framed in ways that compelled people to act. (3) They provided an important sense of solidarity and presented the background against which recruitment for mobilization took place. (4) Finally, they provided key skills and resources for mobilization to be effective. Thanks to their miscibility, Dar'a's dense social networks substituted for the role attributed to brokers in social movement theory. They effectively connected individuals of different origins and strata in an otherwise prohibitive authoritarian context.

scholarly journals Together we Can: Collective Organization of Artists in Beijing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey Willis
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
Shared Identity ◽  
Contemporary Chinese

This study undertakes an analysis of the experiences of Contemporary Chinese artists engaged in collective organization in China’s burgeoning art districts in Beijing. A new conceptual framework is employed in this study which integrates theory from social movement theory and collective action. I explore generally the issues and strategies of collective organization in China, and specifically, analyze the development of a recently founded organization, the Chinese Independent Artist Alliance (CIAA). Data is collected through participant observation as well as through semi-structured interviews of the founders of the CIAA. Data analysis stretches beyond the scope of the main actors within the CIAA into a sphere representing over 1000 artists, academics and activists in China. Findings suggest that individual motivations for joining and supporting the CIAA artist collective differ substantially however, the various political and economic pressures faced by artists create a shared identity among CIAA participants acting as glue holding the collective together. <div><br></div>

scholarly journals The Contribution of Social Movement Theory to Understanding Genocide

Contention ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Aliza Luft
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Contentious Politics ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Rwandan Genocide ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
History Of

Recent years have witnessed a turn in the field of contentious politics toward the study of political violence, yet scholars have yet to focus their lens on genocide. Moreover, research on genocide is characterized by fundamental disagreements about its definition, origins, and dynamics, leading to a lack of generalizable theory. As a remedy, this article suggests that research on genocide can be improved by incorporating concepts from social movements. After reviewing the history of research on social movements and genocide, I analyze civilian participation in the Rwandan genocide as an example of how social movement theory helps explain civilian mobilization for genocide. Finally, I propose that a contentious politics approach to genocide would consider it one among many forms of contentious collective action, analyzable within the existing framework of social movement theory.

Framing DNA

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Early History ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Wrongful Conviction ◽  
Archival Research ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

The “innocence movement” has often been mentioned, but rarely explored in depth. In particular, scholars have yet to study the beginning of the movement thoroughly. This article explores the early history of the innocence movement, referred to as the “foundations” of the movement, suggesting that the common focus solely on DNA as the source of the movement is an overly narrow historical focus. Based on archival research and interviews with key movement participants, this article draws on social movement theory to better understand the roots of the innocence movement, including its organizational foundation, early leadership, and the identification of the “problem” of wrongful conviction as a cause worthy of collective action. These three developments re-framed DNA as a tool to seek justice through post-conviction exonerations, thus creating the foundation on which the innocence movement was built.

scholarly journals Together we Can: Collective Organization of Artists in Beijing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey Willis
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Social Movement Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Movement Theory ◽  
Shared Identity ◽  
Contemporary Chinese

This study undertakes an analysis of the experiences of Contemporary Chinese artists engaged in collective organization in China’s burgeoning art districts in Beijing. A new conceptual framework is employed in this study which integrates theory from social movement theory and collective action. I explore generally the issues and strategies of collective organization in China, and specifically, analyze the development of a recently founded organization, the Chinese Independent Artist Alliance (CIAA). Data is collected through participant observation as well as through semi-structured interviews of the founders of the CIAA. Data analysis stretches beyond the scope of the main actors within the CIAA into a sphere representing over 1000 artists, academics and activists in China. Findings suggest that individual motivations for joining and supporting the CIAA artist collective differ substantially however, the various political and economic pressures faced by artists create a shared identity among CIAA participants acting as glue holding the collective together. <div><br></div>

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