Confronting Authority Collectively:

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Confronting Authority Collectively

• An introduction to Social Movements in the late
  20th early 21st Century

ACTUp/PETA demonstration in DC, 1996
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What are social movements?

• Sustained, collective, public challenges by
  ordinary people to authorities and/or the
  established social order, including some
  extra-institutional tactics

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Key elements of social movements

• The collective activity is a challenge to the
  pre-existing political, economic, or social
  status quo
• Challenge is sustained over a lengthy period of
  time
• Collective activity is primarily but not
  exclusively fueled by ordinary people (not
  elites)
• The collective challenge is public
• The activity involves at least some use of
  extra-institutional tactics

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Soc. Movements Challenge
Act Ups Action at the Vatican Mission to the
U.N., New York, October 29th, 2003  
Ruckus in Seattle. Photo The Ruckus Society
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Soc. Movements sustained
The Abolitionist movement to stop the death
penalty, dating back to the late 19th century.
Above, anti-death penalty protesters march
towards the jail in Terre Haute, Indiana on June
10 2001, a day before the execution there of
Timothy McVeigh.Photo Michael Conroy, AP
AntiAbortion/Pro-Life Demonstrators Fighting Roe
V Wade since 1973
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Social Movements collective
Bangladeshi Opponents of the U.S.-led war in
Iraq, 2002.
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Soc. Movements ordinary people (mostly)
The March on Washington, 1963
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Soc. Movements public
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Soc. Movements (include some) extra-institutional
protest
Photos http//www.circleoflifefoundation.org
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Whats the difference between a social movement
and a .

• Revolution?
• Insurrection?
• Terrorist attack?
• Electoral campaign?
• coup detat?

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Remember!
Social Movements Always Include a triangle of
relations between
1- participants

• 2- power holders who are the objects of the
  claims

• 3- subject populations on whose behalf activists
  are making claims

(Charles Tilly)
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Is it a movement? A formula from Prof. Tilly
W x U x N x C strength
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A female demonstrator offers a flower to military
police on guard at the Pentagon during an
anti-Vietnam demonstration in 1967.National
Archives and Records Administration
Two soldiers awaiting a helicopter to evacuate
their fallen comrade from the jungle covered
hills in Long Khanh Province.By Pfc. L. Paul
Epley, 1966National Archives and Records
Administration.
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What are the Building Blocks of Social Movements?
Who or what, in other words, actually makes up a
social movement? What sorts of institutions,
organizations, etc.?
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• Who has ever participated
• in a social movement?

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Uses of social movement theory

• Explanatory and predictive value
• Encourages us to include informal politics and
  ordinary people in political analysis
• Encourages cross-national comparisons
• Provides common vocabulary set of concepts

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Problems with current social movement theory?

• Grounded in mostly non-violent western case
  studies
• Focus on good social movements
• Excludes ethnic and national movements
• Overly descriptive not predictive enough?

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Social Movements as Studied in the Social Sciences