Making Sense Of Social Movements

by Nick Crossley

A comprehensive overview of the key sociological approaches to the study of social movements. The author argues that each of these approaches makes an important contribution to our understanding of social movements but that none is adequate on its own. In response he argues for a new approach which draws together key insights within the solid foundations of Pierre Bourdieu's social theory of practice. This new approach transcends the barriers which still often divide European and North American perspectives of social movements, and also those which divide recent approaches form the older collective behaviour approach. The result is a theoretical framework which is uniquely equipped for the demands of modern social movement analysis.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Daniel Rosengren Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for both students and researchers of social movements. The text is not too intricate so most people should be able to follow the arguments laid out, and the proposals of Crossley. Personally I find Crossley's argument to be both insightful and compelling. His ideas for combining sociological theory with social movement theory (to improve the latter) as well as re-considering some older perspectives on social movements (Blumer, Smelser, Durkheim) are useful, and on the overall he provides good illustrations for the usefulness of his combined approach.