Social Movements and Protest

Key Topics in Sociology

by Gemma Edwards

This lively textbook integrates theory and methodology into the study of social movements, and includes contemporary case studies to engage students and encourage them to apply theories critically. A wide range of protest cases are explored, from American, European and global arenas, including contemporary examples of political violence and terrorism, alter-globalisation, social networking and global activism. Key chapter features encourage students to engage critically with the method points uncover the methodology behind the theories, helping students to understand the larger study of social movements; debate points highlight classic arguments in social movement studies, encouraging students to critically assess theoretical approaches; and case studies connect theories to cases, allowing students to relate key principles to real-world examples. A companion website offers additional student and instructor resources, including lecture slides and worksheets.

295 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2013

Reviews

[CM · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intermediate-level survey text on the theories of social movements, covering major theories (collective behavior, resource mobilization, political process, new social movement, framing and the cultural turn, and contentious politics) and their critique, plus a couple chapters on the more recent political actions( alternative globalization, terrorism). Being a theoretical text, it is not as example-rich as other social movement texts but more on the assessment of the theories.

It's just the critique can be a bit more nuanced and subtle for a reader without a sociological background (me included) and I am not sure I am convinced by the author's argument for a more relational approach to social movement studies . Still a good text on this area.