Social Movement

Theory and Culture

Charles Tilly: History of Modern

Social Movements
Sometime between 1787 and 1833,
birth of modern social movement:
Antislavery movement (Great Britain): 1791 and
1806. 400325 - bbc.co.uk

Charles Tilly
Social Movements: a form of contentious politics
Campaign
Performancesset he calls Repertoires (rallies,

petition drives, vigils, solemn processions, etc.)

Displays -- WUNC

 Worthiness
Unity
Numbers
Commitment

Sydney Tarrow (sociologist): social movements are

NOT:
--political parties
--interest groups
social movements ARE:
collective challenges by people with common
purposes and solidarity
.in sustained interactions with elites, opponents
and authorities.

THEORY:
Social strain (Durkheim) society in transition, movements

dysfunctional: late 19th century, early 20th

New Social Movements: 1970s/80s (Europe)

Resource Mobilization: 1970s/80s (U.S.)
Framing Perspective: 1990s (U.S.)

Civil Society

Culture?

Clifford Geertz: a societys cultureconsists of

whatever it is that one has to know or believe in
order to operate in a manner acceptable to its
members.
(knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom,
manners, habits)

 Culture is produced, perceived, and interpreted

by members of society.
(in contrast to high culture)

Culture in Protests

Iron-Jawed Angels Parade

Musical anthems
Joan Baez We Shall Overcome

Imagine for Turkey

(The role of the artist celebrity)

 "We Shall Overcome" was sung in the 2010

Bollywood film My Name is Khan (in Urdu and

English) comparing struggles of Muslims in
American to African American struggles.

History: Social Movement Studies

Terminology: Social Movements: Lorenz von Stein (German

Sociologist) 1850

Civil Rights Movement

This Little Light of Mine
Eyes on the Prize
I Wish I Knew

 When I despair, I remember that all through histor

y the ways of truth and love have always won. Ther

e have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time
they can seem invincible, but in the end they alw
ays fall. Think of it--always.
Mahatma Gandhi