8.1 Theoretical approaches to social movement emergence

Social movements are complex phenomena shaped by various factors. Theories like Resource Mobilization, Political Process, and New Social Movement offer different lenses to understand their emergence and development.

Each theory has strengths and limitations in explaining movement dynamics. A comprehensive analysis often requires synthesizing multiple perspectives to capture the interplay of resources, opportunities, and cultural factors in movement formation.

Social Movement Theories

Resource Mobilization Theory

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• Emphasizes the importance of resources in the emergence and success of social movements
  • Money, labor, and organizational infrastructure are key resources
  • Explains the success of well-established movements (American civil rights movement)
• May overlook the role of grievances and ideological factors in movement formation

Political Process Theory

• Focuses on the role of political opportunities in facilitating or constraining social movement emergence
  • Changes in the political system or shifts in elite alignments create opportunities
  • Provides insights into the impact of political context on movements (women's suffrage movement)
• May underestimate the agency of movement actors in creating their own opportunities

New Social Movement Theories

• Highlight the significance of collective identity, shared values, and cultural practices in movement formation
  • Identity-based and cultural approaches emphasize the role of culture and identity
  • Offer a nuanced understanding of contemporary movements (LGBTQ+ rights, environmental activism)
• May neglect the material and institutional factors that shape movement emergence

Synthesis of Theoretical Perspectives

• Each theoretical perspective offers a distinct analytical lens for understanding social movement emergence
• A comprehensive analysis often requires a synthesis of multiple perspectives
  • Captures the complex interplay of structural conditions, resources, political opportunities, and cultural factors
  • Provides a more holistic understanding of the factors contributing to movement formation in different contexts

Strengths and Limitations of Theories

Strengths of Resource Mobilization Theory

• Effectively explains the importance of organizational resources and strategic mobilization in movement success
  • Highlights the role of money, labor, and infrastructure in sustaining movements
  • Accounts for the success of well-established movements with significant resources (American civil rights movement)
• Provides a framework for analyzing the organizational dimensions of social movements

Limitations of Resource Mobilization Theory

• May overlook the role of grievances and ideological factors in movement formation
  • Focuses primarily on the instrumental aspects of resource mobilization
  • Underestimates the importance of shared values, beliefs, and emotions in motivating collective action
• May not fully capture the emergence of movements in resource-poor contexts or the role of informal networks

Strengths of Political Process Theory

• Provides valuable insights into the impact of political opportunities on movement emergence
  • Highlights the role of changes in the political system or shifts in elite alignments in facilitating activism
  • Explains the emergence of movements in response to favorable political conditions (women's suffrage movement)
• Offers a framework for analyzing the interaction between movements and the broader political context

Limitations of Political Process Theory

• May underestimate the agency of movement actors in creating their own opportunities
  • Focuses primarily on the structural aspects of political opportunities
  • Overlooks the role of strategic framing, coalition-building, and collective action in shaping political conditions
• May not fully account for the emergence of movements in politically closed or repressive contexts

Strengths of New Social Movement Theories

• Offer a nuanced understanding of the cultural and identity-based dimensions of contemporary movements
  • Highlight the role of collective identity, shared values, and cultural practices in movement formation
  • Provide insights into the emergence of movements around issues of identity, lifestyle, and cultural change (LGBTQ+ rights, environmental activism)
• Expand the analytical focus beyond instrumental goals to include symbolic and expressive dimensions of activism

Limitations of New Social Movement Theories

• May neglect the material and institutional factors that shape movement emergence
  • Focus primarily on the cultural and identity-based aspects of movements
  • Underestimate the role of resources, organizational structures, and political opportunities in movement formation
• May not fully account for the strategic and instrumental dimensions of contemporary activism

Structure vs Agency in Movements

The Role of Structural Conditions

• Economic inequalities, political institutions, and cultural norms can create underlying grievances and opportunities for movements
  • Structural conditions shape the context in which movements emerge and operate
  • Examples: economic recessions, political crises, shifts in cultural values
• Structural factors can constrain or enable movement activism

The Role of Individual Agency

• Strategic choices, leadership, and collective action of movement participants play a crucial role in movement formation
  • Individual agency involves mobilizing resources, framing grievances, and navigating political opportunities
  • Examples: charismatic leaders, tactical innovations, collective decision-making processes
• Movement actors both respond to and shape the structural conditions that affect their activism

The Interplay of Structure and Agency

• The formation of social movements often involves a dialectical relationship between structure and agency
  • Structural conditions provide the context and opportunities for movement emergence
  • Individual agency shapes how movements respond to and transform those conditions
• Case studies illustrate the dynamic interplay of structure and agency in movement formation
  • Arab Spring uprisings: structural grievances (authoritarianism, economic inequality) and individual agency (protests, social media activism)
  • Black Lives Matter movement: structural racism and individual agency (protests, policy demands)

Classical Theories vs Contemporary Movements

Relevance of Classical Theories

• Resource mobilization and political process theories remain relevant for analyzing organizational and political dimensions of contemporary movements
  • Provide frameworks for understanding the role of resources, strategies, and political opportunities in movement emergence and success
  • Require adaptation to account for new forms of mobilization and communication (digital activism, social media)
• Classical theories offer valuable analytical tools for examining contemporary movements

New Challenges for Classical Theories

• The rise of digital activism and social media has transformed how contemporary movements emerge, organize, and spread their message
  • Challenge traditional assumptions about resource mobilization and political opportunities
  • Examples: online petitions, viral hashtags, decentralized networks
• Contemporary movements often exhibit a complex interplay of identity, culture, and politics
  • Require new theoretical frameworks that go beyond classical approaches
  • Examples: intersectionality, prefigurative politics, global justice networks

The Need for New Theoretical Frameworks

• Understanding contemporary social movements requires attention to the unique historical, technological, and cultural contexts in which they emerge and evolve
  • Classical theories provide a foundation, but may not fully capture the complexity of contemporary activism
  • New theoretical frameworks should integrate insights from classical approaches while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities
• Examples of new theoretical frameworks:
  • Connective action: highlights the role of digital media in enabling personalized, networked forms of activism
  • Intersectional activism: examines the intersection of multiple systems of oppression and the formation of inclusive, solidarity-based movements