Introduction to Sociology: Concepts, Theories and Sixty-thousandarmedwhitemenorganizedforwhatamounts...

Introduction to Sociology Dirk Helbing and Research Team Zurich May 27, 2008 1 / 32
Introduction to Sociology:Concepts, Theories and Models
Dirk Helbing and Research Team
Chair of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulation
May 27, 2008
Chair of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulationhttp://www.soms.ethz.ch/

Chapter 12Social Movements and Social Change
Dirk Helbingwww.soms.ethz.chdhelbing@ethz.ch

Social Movements
Social MovementsSocial Movementis an organized activity that encourages or discourages socialchange.
1 Alterative social movements serve to help certain people toalter their lives.
2 Redemptive social movements target specific people and seekradical change.
3 Reformative social movements aim for limited social change,but target everyone.
4 Revolutionary social movements seek the basic transformationof an entire society.

Social Movements
Claims Making
Claims Making
Claims Makingis the process of trying to convince the public and public officials ofthe importance of joining a social movement to address a particularissue.
That is, some issue has to be defined as a problem that demandspublic attention.Example: Need to take public action such as medical research andsafer sex campaigns to fight HIV and AIDS.

Social Movements
Deprivation Theory
Deprivation Theory
Relative Deprivationis a perceived discadvantage arising from some specific comparison.
The worst-off people are not necessarily the most likely to organizefor change.Example: A revolution occured first in France, where peasants hadseen improvements in their lives that made them hope for morechange. German peasants, in contrast, knew nothing else but feudalservitude at the time of the French Revolution, and they learned tolive with this situation.

Social Movements
Mass-Society Theory
Mass-Society Theory
Mass-Society Theoryassumes that socially isolated people seek out social movements asa way to gain a sense of belonging and importance.
Accordingly, social movements are most likely to arise in impersonalmass societies. Flawed people rather than a flawed society areresponsible for social movements. People who are well integratedare unlikely to seek membership in a social movement.Example: Prison inmates are more likely to protest their conditions,if programs promoting social ties among them are suspended.

Social Movements
Structural-Strain Theory
Structural-Strain Theory1 Social movements begin to emerge when people come to think
their society has some serious problems (structuralconductiveness).
2 People begin to experience relative deprivation when societyfails to meet their expectations (structural strain).
3 Forming a well-organized social movement requires a clearstatement not only of the problem, but also of its causes andits solutions (growth and spread of an explanation).
4 Some specific event sparks collective action when there is ahistoric opportunity (precipitating factors).
5 A mobilization for action may cause that the rate of changebecomes faster and faster.
6 The social movement depends on the non-intervention ofpolitical officials, police, and the military (lack of social control).

Social Movements
Resource-Mobilization and Culture Theory
Resource-Mobilization and Culture TheoryResource-Mobilization TheoryThe success of a social movement depends on substantial resourcesand, therefore, often on a positive public image. It raises and fallswith how well it attracts resources, mobilizes people, and forgesalliances.
Example: Prior to the Iraq War, two individuals using theircomputers were able to get 120,000 people in 190 countries to signa petition opposing the war. Today, in principle everybody canorganize an own movement.
Culture TheoryMobilization depends not only on a sense of injustice, but also oncultural symbols.

Social Movements
Political-Economy and New Social Movements Theory
Political-Economy and New Social MovementsTheory
Political-Economy TheoryAccording to Karl Marx, social movements arise within capitalistsocieties because the economic system and institutional structuresfail to meet the needs of the majority of people.
New Social Movementsfocus on improving of our social and physical surrounding ( globalwarming, women and gay rights, etc.). They tend to become global(using mass media and new information technology) and to drawsupport from the middle and upper-middle classes.

Social Movements
Theories of Social Movements

Stages in Social Movements
Emergence and Coalescence
Emergence and Coalescence
Stage I. Emergence of Social MovementsA social movement is triggered by the perception that something isnot ok.
Stage II. CoalescenceLeaders must determine policies, decide on tactics, build morale,recruit new members, and attract the attention of the media.

Bureaucratization
Bureaucratization
Stage III. BureaucratizationTo become a political force, a social movement must become anestablished organization. As this happens, the movement dependsless on the charisma and talents of a few leaders and relies more ona professional staff.
However, becoming more bureaucratic can also hurt a socialmovement, when neglecting the need to keep people fired up forchange.

Decline
Reasons of DeclineStage IV: Decline
1 The social movement may have met its goals. But winning onevictory often leads to new goals.
2 Organizational failures, e.g. poor leadership, internal conflicts,day-to-day routine, loss of interest among members,insufficient funds, or repression by authorities.
3 Selling out by attracting leaders by offers of money, prestige,or power from within the established system.
4 Repression by the established system, e.g. frightening awayparticipants, discouraging new recruits, imprisoning leaders.
5 The social movement may also go mainstream, become anaccepted part of the system rather than challenging the statusquo.

Stages in the Lives of Social Movements

Social Change
Social Change
Social Changeis the transformation of culture and social institutions over time.
Cultural LagMaterial culture (technology) usually changes faster thannonmaterial culture (ideas, attitudes, and norms).

Social Change
Culture and Change
Culture and Change
Discoveryoccurs when people notice new elements of the existing world.
Inventionproduces new objects, ideas, and social patterns.
Diffusioncreates change as products, people, and information spread.

Social Change
Other Mechanisms of Change
Other Mechanisms of Change
Conflict and ChangeKarl Marx saw class conflict as

Introduction to Sociology: Concepts, Theories and Sixty-thousandarmedwhitemenorganizedforwhatamounts...

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