scholarly journals Democratic Transitions: Are There Recipes for Success?

ICR Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-127
Author(s):  
Deina Abdelkader
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Transition Theory ◽  
Democratic Transitions ◽  
The Masses ◽  
The Military

In transitioning to democracy, rationalists assume that either the masses or the elites bring about change. This paper hypothesises that there is a causal relationship between the actors involved in social change and the end product the progress of democratic transition and whether revolution from below or from above is more likely to bring about the transition. By examining Pacting Theory as a democratic transition theory, this paper will analyse the role of the military in Egypts democratisation process. The interplay of the military powers and relinquishing those powers to a civilian government will have implications for social movements theory and the approaches to democratic transition theory.

scholarly journals Social Change in Brazil Through Innovations and Social Movements

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-438
Author(s):  
Karina Maldonado-Mariscal
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Military Coup ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Cyclical Process ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Military

Social innovations and changes in educational systems are the cornerstones for success of emerging countries. Current developments in Brazil and heterogeneity of society make the country a perfect candidate to investigate these topics. Drawing on historical analysis and content analysis, the author builds a model that recognizes patterns of social change. This model enables to analyze social change through the interaction of radical changes, innovations, social movements, and reforms. This model is applied to two periods in Brazil, where social movements, like the revolution in the 1930s and the military coup in the 1960s, triggered a series of social changes. The findings of this study suggest that social change is a cyclical process where social innovations and educational change are involved. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of current changes in the Brazilian society and provide a key instrument for analyzing social change in other societies.

Rural Movements and the Transition to Democracy in Spain

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Herrera ◽  
John Markoff
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Transition To Democracy ◽  
Dynamic Character ◽  
History Of ◽  
Social Movement Activism

Scholars of Spain's democratic transition vary considerably in the role they attribute to movements. Spanish democratization is widely known for its successful elite negotiations and some describe it as an instance of democratization from above. For others it is a case of social movement activism creating problems for those elites negotiating the democratization process. Among those social movements, the least studied took place in the Spanish countryside. Rural movements played a role well beyond the standard accounts in two important ways. First, they challenged significant obstacles to democratization that elite deals had left in place at the local level. And, second, the local arena had major implications for the national scene. We trace the history of four rural campaigns that were a pivotal component of Spanish democratization. We conclude with some general observations on the role of social movements in imparting a dynamic character to democracy.

“Bread and Roses”

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-100
Author(s):  
Tom Juravich
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Labor Movement ◽  
Women's Movement ◽  
First Generation ◽  
New Music ◽  
Labor Standards ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
History Of

This paper traces the history of the song “Bread and Roses” to examine labor culture and the role of song in the labor movement. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, “Bread and Roses” was included in several of the first generation song books produced by unions that reflected an expansive and inclusive labor culture closely connected with the Left. With the ascendance of business unionism and the blacklisting of the Left after the war, labor culture took a heavy blow, and labor songbooks became skeletons of the full-bodied versions they had once been. Unions began to see singing not as part of the process of social change but as a vehicle to bring people together, and songs such as “Bread and Roses” and other more class-based songs were jettisoned in favor of a few labor standards and American sing-along songs. “Bread and Roses” was born anew to embody a central concept in the women’s movement and rode the wave of new music, art, and film that were part of new social movements and new constituencies that challenged business unionism and reshaped union culture in the 1980s.

scholarly journals A commitment to politics: the trajectory of the Muslim Brotherhood during Egypt's 2011–13 political opening

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wilmot
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Muslim Brotherhood ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
The Muslim Brotherhood ◽  
The Military ◽  
Islamist Movement ◽  
Rare Opportunity

Prior to the 2011 Arab uprisings, Islamist parties in most Arab states had been systematically prevented from exercising any meaningful authority in government. Following President Hosni Mubarak's ousting from power in 2011, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) established a political party – the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – and formally entered mainstream politics, providing a rare opportunity to examine the role of an Islamist party in the context of democratic transition. Contrary to concerns that the MB might use Egypt's political opening to install an undemocratic regime, the movement instead committed itself to electoral politics and consistently adhered to the framework for political transition. An analysis of the MB's political trajectory during the 2011–13 timeframe reveals that the movement endeavoured to protect Egypt's democratic transition against the encroachment of the military and the judiciary. Despite the FJP's efforts, sustained interference by non-elected institutions brought Egypt's democratic experiment to a premature end. This course of events confirms that an Islamist movement is capable of fully committing to politics, but also indicates that political commitment alone is insufficient to ensure a successful transition to democratic governance.

From Strategic Leaders to Societal Leaders: On the Expanding Social Role of Executives and Boards

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1315-1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Krause ◽  
Toyah L. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Strategic Leadership ◽  
Social Expectations ◽  
Organizational Boundaries ◽  
Editorial Commentary ◽  
Strategic Leaders

Scholarship on strategic leadership and governance has long operated under the assumption that strategic leaders’ influence and purview are predominantly constrained by organizational boundaries. Recent events and social movements have called this limited view of strategic leadership into question, however. In this editorial commentary, we explore the emerging trend of strategic leaders becoming—in both their own and stakeholders’ perceptions—societal leaders advancing social change inside and outside their organizations. We examine the research implications of taking a broader view of these leaders’ responsibility, one that reflects evolving social expectations.

Virtual Legality

2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 555-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTHONY W. PEREIRA
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Democratic Transitions ◽  
Military Justice ◽  
Transitions To Democracy ◽  
Legal Justification ◽  
The Military ◽  
Relevant Factors

Authoritarian regimes in Latin America frequently expanded military court jurisdiction to prosecute political opponents and protect members of the armed forces and police engaged in repression. What happened to the military courts after the recent transitions to democracy in the region? Why did some democratic transitions produce broad reform of military justice while most did not? This article first reviews contending theoretical explanations that offer answers to these questions, comparing those answers with actual outcomes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. It then argues that the “mode of transition” perspective, which attributes variation in the extent of military justice reform to the autonomy and strength of the military in the democratic transition, best explains the outcomes in these cases. However, the military's autonomy and strength should be specified. In the area of military justice, the relevant factors are the military's propagation of an accepted legal justification for past uses of military courts and the creation of congressional support for the maintenance of existing military court jurisdiction. Both of these factors are present in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, where little or no reform of military justice took place under democratization, and absent in Argentina, where broad reform did occur.

scholarly journals Batman, Pandaman and the Blind Man: A Case Study in Social Change Memes and Internet Censorship in China

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
An Xiao Mina
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Critique ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
Internet Censorship ◽  
Community Expression

While the internet has been examined as a utilitarian space for social movements, it also acts as a cultural space for personal and community expression about important social issues. While examining the particularities of the memetic form – often catchy humor, simple imagery, and remixing – the author examines meme culture as a vehicle for political and social critique in the context of China’s stringent web censorship and propaganda. She looks at social change memes that have arisen around internet censorship and in support of the blind lawyer activist Chen Guangcheng. First, she considers these memes as visual and creative practices that sidestep the mechanics of internet censorship in China. She then argues for the role of internet memes in challenging hegemonic media environments, and maintains that these actions should be considered important political acts in and of themselves.

Coloring social change: Humor, politics, and social movements

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-511
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Takovski
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
On Line ◽  
Present Case Study

AbstractAs many social movements demonstrate, humor can serve as an important resource to resist oppression, fight social injustice and bring social change. Existing research has focused on humor’s role within social movements and its positive effects on the free expression of criticism, reduction of fear, communication, mobilization of participants and so on. However, the current literature on the activist use of humor also expresses some reservations about its political efficacy. While humor may steam off the energy necessary to counteract oppression and injustice, other tools of achieving the same political ends have been successfully deployed, primarily social media. Building upon this research, the present case study explores the 2016 Macedonian social movement called the Colorful Revolution. In particular, through the analysis of social media and activists’ reflection on the political use of humor, this case study examines how on-line humor contributed to the emergence and development of the movement. Factoring in activists’ opinions on the role of humor in society and especially in movements, while also paying attention to the role of social media, this case study tends to re-interpret the role of humor in the totality of the actions and circumstances underpinning the development of a social movement.

The Political Science of Democratic Transition in Eastern Europe

1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean McSweeney ◽  
Clive Tempest
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Transition To Democracy ◽  
Endogenous Factors ◽  
East European ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Exogenous Factors ◽  
The Masses

Political science is presented with an unprecedented case of democratic transition in Eastern Europe with a set of societies that are said to have been atomized by party state organs and without the other formal preconditions for transition to liberal democracy. The article surveys current writings and theories on transition to see whether they fit the East European cases. The stress in the literature on the primacy of endogenous factors, the role of entrepreneurial capitalism and the leading role of elites in facilitating a transition to democracy is of little value in the Eastern European context where exogenous factors, the absence of capitalism and the role of the masses were crucial in the downfall of communism. The prospects for the survival of democracy are discussed in the light of the way the new regimes were inaugurated.

Transitions to Democracy and Transition through Transaction

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONALD SHARE
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Democratic Transition ◽  
Democratic Transitions ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
Transitions To Democracy ◽  
Type Of Transition

Democratization from authoritarian rule has been an important focus of scholarly interest in the 1980s. However, no typology of democratic transitions currently exists. This article introduces a typology of transitions from authoritarianism to democracy with four major types: incremental democratization, transition through rupture, transition through protracted revolutionary struggle, and transition through transaction. The remainder of the article discusses the conditions for one type of democratic transition, transition through transaction, in Spain (1975-1978). As the Spanish case suggests, the conditions for this type of transition are quite different from those required for other forms of transition. The summary discussion of the Spanish case is divided into a consideration of the conditions for the initiation of transition through transaction, and an examination of the conditions for the implementation of transition through transaction. Both sections emphasize the crucial role of elite attitudes and skill in transitions through transaction.

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