Understanding Social Movements: Theories from the Classical Era to the Present

Description

In thirteen succinct chapters, Buechler traces movement theories from the classical era of sociology to the most recent examples of transnational activism. He identifies the socio-historical context, central concepts, and guiding logic of diverse movement theories, with emphasis on: Comparisons of Marx and Lenin; Weber and Michels; and Durkheim and LeBon The Chicago School of the inter-war period The political-sociological approaches of the 1950s The varieties of strain and breakdown theories at the dawn of the 1960s Major paradigm shifts caused by the cascade of 1960s social movements Vivid examples of movements worldwide and coverage of all major theorists Critiques, debates, and proposed syntheses dominating the turn of the 21st century Recent trends (such as cyberactivism and transnational movements) and their theoretical implications" Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Foreword Introduction Part I: Classical Approaches 1 Marx and Lenin The Context The Alienation of Labor The Labor Theory of Value Surplus Value and Exploitation Contradictions and Crises Class Formation Lenin’s Ghost Lessons from Marx 2 Weber and Michels The Context The Protestant Ethic The Science of Sociology Types of Authority Implications for Social Movements Michels’s Contributions The Weberian Legacy 3 Durkheim and Le Bon The Context The Division of Labor The Sociology of Suicide The Role of Religion Implications for Movements Le Bon’s Crowd Durkheim’s Legacy Part II: Traditional Theories 4 The Two Chicago Schools The Context Park and Burgess Blumer’s Collective Behavior The Context Revisited Turner and Killian Other Exemplars Conclusion 5 Political Sociology and Political Movements The Context A European Import Lipset’s Political Sociology Confronting Totalitarianism On Dictatorship and Democracy Conclusion 6 Strain and Deprivation Models The Context Chicago Revisited Relative Deprivation Smelser’s Functionalist Approach Later Exemplars Conclusion Part III: Paradigm Shifts 7 Resource Mobilization Approaches The Context Early Strands of Resource Mobilization The Consolidation (and Fracturing) of a New Paradigm The Paradigm Elaborated Conclusion 8 Political Process Theory The Context Tilly’s Analysis McAdam’s Model Tarrow’s Embellishments Conclusion 9 Framing and Social Construction The Context Politicizing Discontent Framing Tasks Movements and Media The Social Construction of Protest Conclusion 10 New Social Movement Theories The Context Some Major Themes European Exemplars and Debates Melucci’s Analysis Conclusion Part IV: Recent Trends 11 Alternatives, Critiques, and Synthesis? The Context Some Alternative Theoretical Threads Paradigmatic Debates and Critiques An Attempted Synthesis Conclusion 12 Contentious Dynamics and Passionate Politics The Context Dynamics of Contention Critiques and Permutations Bringing Culture Back In Passionate Politics Conclusion 13 New Directions The Context Structural Permutations Cultural Embellishments Synthesis 2.0? Movements in Cyberspace Transnational Activism Conclusion Epilogue References Index About the Author