Week 1 - Session 1: Foundations of social movements: characteristics
and concepts
Questions
- Admin-related:
- Content-related: please post questions on the Canvas discussion tab
Our sessions
- Tuesday: 9:00 am - 10:45 am
- Friday: 9:00 am - 10:45
Online exam 17th, 2023
Make sure to know slide content & core readings.
Additional readings will NOT be required for the exam.
Course overview
Phase 1: Foundations of Social Movements
- Block 1: Characteristics and concepts
- Session 1: Conceptualization & Emergence
- Session 2: Case discussion
- Block 2: Tactics, strategies, and their consequences
- Session 1: Participation
- Session 2: Trajectories & Consequences
Phase 2: Organizations and Social Movements
- Block 3: Organizations as targets of social movements
- Session 1: Impact and responses
- Session 2: Case discussion
- Block 4: Organizations as places of social movements
- Session 1: Insider activism
- Session 2: Guest speaker
- Block 5: Organizations as consequences of social movements.
- Session 1: Opportunity emergence
- Session 2: Summary
,-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conceptualizing Social Movements
Some examples of Social Movements → Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Women’s Rights
Movement
Why should we care about social movements?
● The development of human history is partly contingent on the influence of social
movements.
● What kind of world would we be living in in the absence of,...
○ the suffrage movement, seeking to liberate women.
○ the labor movement, aiming to reduce the exploitation of workers.
○ the civil rights movement, seeking to guarantee same rights for all citizens
○ the LGBTQIA+ movement, aiming to empower that community.
○ the environmental movement, seeking to save the plane from environmental
disaster.
● Social movements have fundamentally reshaped societies and are thus seen as a
driving force of social change.
● Examining social movements thus can lead to more profound understanding of the
social world around us (incl. understanding how organizations and markets
behave).
● Some scholars argue that we live in a so-called “movement society” (Meyer &
Tarrow, 1998). → because so much has been influenced by social movements and
so many changes continued to be driven by the collective efforts of movements in the
real world.
How can we think about and characterize social movements?
5 defining points/ characteristics of how we can think about and how we can characterize
what social movements are:
,1. Challengers of systems of authority
● Examples of systems of authority
○ State; national government; for-profit/non-profit/non-governmental
organizations; religious denominations; cultural beliefs and
behaviours. → Media is also a system of authority that can pressurize
groups and can bring about rules and regulations in the sense of
informing people.
● What do all of these examples have in common?
○ They are recognized as makers of decisions, regulations,
procedures, and guidelines influencing some aspect of individuals’
lives. → The systems of authority have the power to shape behaviour
and how we act in society.
● Individuals influenced by systems of authority are referred to as
‘constituents’
○ Saying that systems of authority are recognized makers of decisions
means that constituents typically act in accordance with the rules
and procedures associated with that system of authority.
■ In doing so they are granting the system and its actions
legitimacy.
■ This does not mean that constituents agree with the rules,
procedures, or decisions.
● Why do we care about systems of authority in the study of social
movements?
○ They are very often the targets of social movements.
○ For example: after Black Lives Matter, national governments changed
the policy in how police work is carried out. → The Black Lives Matter
Movement targets a system of authority, in this case the National
Governments, by really focusing on trying to drive policy changes and
how for example national governments carry out police work and how
police behaves in engaging with citizens.
● Important to realize: it’s not always the case that social movements target and
attack systems of authority, but social movements can also act as defenders
of systems of authority.
○ Think about religious movements.
○ So, social movements can act as attacking systems of authority and
as defenders of systems of authority.
2. Collective enterprise
● The action taken by social movements is collective as it involves a variety of
individuals, groups, or organizations engaged in joint efforts.
● Collectively efforts to challenge systems of authority can vary in nature.
○ Direct challenges include direct and open demands
, ■ The targeted systems of authority is aware of both the claims
and who is making the claims. → For example, Climate
movement is directly attacking large oil companies with very
direct demands (stop production of fossil fuels).
○ Indirect challenges do not focus directly on systems of authority
■ Rather, they focus on changing individuals, ultimately hoping
that a mass individual-level change will lead to a change in the
system of authority. → For example, Climate movement is
asking other citizens to not use fossil fuels.
3. Act outside institutional arrangements
● Social movements are only one of many types of joint, collective action.
○ Others: general crowd behaviour (e.g., panics, sports fans cheering);
riots; interest groups.
● There are many types of collectives that can challenge systems of authority.
So, what sets social movements apart?
● Two aspects:
○ General collective action is more spontaneous and more emotionally
driven, with less structured roles.
○ Social movements operate outside institutional channels. → key
differentiator.
Explaining key differentiator:
● Relationship to system of authority
○ Interest group has a relationship with the system of authority. It is
embedded in the political system.
○ Social movement are positioned outside the system of authority. There
are 2 possible reasons for this: (1) Social Movements have no
relations or connections with the system of authority. (2) Social
Movement wants to bypass the conventional channels of interacting
maybe because they distrust the political system or because they feel
so alien from it.
● Actions (that they will take to change the system of authorities’ mind)
○ Interest groups engage in accepted means → writing whitepapers,
lobbying.
○ Social Movements will act outside the general accepted means; it is
sometimes disruptive and can build pressure on the systems of
authority. → protests, rallies
and concepts
Questions
- Admin-related:
- Content-related: please post questions on the Canvas discussion tab
Our sessions
- Tuesday: 9:00 am - 10:45 am
- Friday: 9:00 am - 10:45
Online exam 17th, 2023
Make sure to know slide content & core readings.
Additional readings will NOT be required for the exam.
Course overview
Phase 1: Foundations of Social Movements
- Block 1: Characteristics and concepts
- Session 1: Conceptualization & Emergence
- Session 2: Case discussion
- Block 2: Tactics, strategies, and their consequences
- Session 1: Participation
- Session 2: Trajectories & Consequences
Phase 2: Organizations and Social Movements
- Block 3: Organizations as targets of social movements
- Session 1: Impact and responses
- Session 2: Case discussion
- Block 4: Organizations as places of social movements
- Session 1: Insider activism
- Session 2: Guest speaker
- Block 5: Organizations as consequences of social movements.
- Session 1: Opportunity emergence
- Session 2: Summary
,-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conceptualizing Social Movements
Some examples of Social Movements → Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Women’s Rights
Movement
Why should we care about social movements?
● The development of human history is partly contingent on the influence of social
movements.
● What kind of world would we be living in in the absence of,...
○ the suffrage movement, seeking to liberate women.
○ the labor movement, aiming to reduce the exploitation of workers.
○ the civil rights movement, seeking to guarantee same rights for all citizens
○ the LGBTQIA+ movement, aiming to empower that community.
○ the environmental movement, seeking to save the plane from environmental
disaster.
● Social movements have fundamentally reshaped societies and are thus seen as a
driving force of social change.
● Examining social movements thus can lead to more profound understanding of the
social world around us (incl. understanding how organizations and markets
behave).
● Some scholars argue that we live in a so-called “movement society” (Meyer &
Tarrow, 1998). → because so much has been influenced by social movements and
so many changes continued to be driven by the collective efforts of movements in the
real world.
How can we think about and characterize social movements?
5 defining points/ characteristics of how we can think about and how we can characterize
what social movements are:
,1. Challengers of systems of authority
● Examples of systems of authority
○ State; national government; for-profit/non-profit/non-governmental
organizations; religious denominations; cultural beliefs and
behaviours. → Media is also a system of authority that can pressurize
groups and can bring about rules and regulations in the sense of
informing people.
● What do all of these examples have in common?
○ They are recognized as makers of decisions, regulations,
procedures, and guidelines influencing some aspect of individuals’
lives. → The systems of authority have the power to shape behaviour
and how we act in society.
● Individuals influenced by systems of authority are referred to as
‘constituents’
○ Saying that systems of authority are recognized makers of decisions
means that constituents typically act in accordance with the rules
and procedures associated with that system of authority.
■ In doing so they are granting the system and its actions
legitimacy.
■ This does not mean that constituents agree with the rules,
procedures, or decisions.
● Why do we care about systems of authority in the study of social
movements?
○ They are very often the targets of social movements.
○ For example: after Black Lives Matter, national governments changed
the policy in how police work is carried out. → The Black Lives Matter
Movement targets a system of authority, in this case the National
Governments, by really focusing on trying to drive policy changes and
how for example national governments carry out police work and how
police behaves in engaging with citizens.
● Important to realize: it’s not always the case that social movements target and
attack systems of authority, but social movements can also act as defenders
of systems of authority.
○ Think about religious movements.
○ So, social movements can act as attacking systems of authority and
as defenders of systems of authority.
2. Collective enterprise
● The action taken by social movements is collective as it involves a variety of
individuals, groups, or organizations engaged in joint efforts.
● Collectively efforts to challenge systems of authority can vary in nature.
○ Direct challenges include direct and open demands
, ■ The targeted systems of authority is aware of both the claims
and who is making the claims. → For example, Climate
movement is directly attacking large oil companies with very
direct demands (stop production of fossil fuels).
○ Indirect challenges do not focus directly on systems of authority
■ Rather, they focus on changing individuals, ultimately hoping
that a mass individual-level change will lead to a change in the
system of authority. → For example, Climate movement is
asking other citizens to not use fossil fuels.
3. Act outside institutional arrangements
● Social movements are only one of many types of joint, collective action.
○ Others: general crowd behaviour (e.g., panics, sports fans cheering);
riots; interest groups.
● There are many types of collectives that can challenge systems of authority.
So, what sets social movements apart?
● Two aspects:
○ General collective action is more spontaneous and more emotionally
driven, with less structured roles.
○ Social movements operate outside institutional channels. → key
differentiator.
Explaining key differentiator:
● Relationship to system of authority
○ Interest group has a relationship with the system of authority. It is
embedded in the political system.
○ Social movement are positioned outside the system of authority. There
are 2 possible reasons for this: (1) Social Movements have no
relations or connections with the system of authority. (2) Social
Movement wants to bypass the conventional channels of interacting
maybe because they distrust the political system or because they feel
so alien from it.
● Actions (that they will take to change the system of authorities’ mind)
○ Interest groups engage in accepted means → writing whitepapers,
lobbying.
○ Social Movements will act outside the general accepted means; it is
sometimes disruptive and can build pressure on the systems of
authority. → protests, rallies
