A Primer on Social Movements

by David A. Snow, Sarah A. Soule

A brief, affordable introduction to collective behavior and social movements. Award-winning sociologists David Snow and Sarah Soule draw from a broad range of theories including political sociology, theories of organizations, and the study of culture and social interaction to introduce the essential ideas for analyzing social movements.

Genres: Sociology, Social Movements, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2009

Reviews

[Caio Major · Rating 3 out of 5]

What it says on the tin. Thorough, about as dry as you'd expect from the title.

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short introductory monograph/book on sociological research on social movements. Research up through the early 2000s is discussed and referenced in short chapters that present the basic study variables and develop some of the theoretical story lines for researching them. Examples are taken from well known examples of social movements - very well known examples. The general logic of this book involves defining the object of study, considering what precipitates the beginning of movements, what conditions support or impede them, considering the degree of popular participation, and studying the dynamics by which movements proceed and evolve. These apply to social movements of all sorts, irrespective of their size, duration, or participants. I understand the intent of social theory to be general and abstract, but to what end, given that these movements seem highly situated and that a theoretical “explanation” must of necessity wait until after the fact?

This book appears to function as a monograph for an undergrad social theory class. Perhaps it could have a place in a graduate seminar but that would be a stretch and would certainly need to be accompanied by research articles. The theory seems a bit thin with very few counterintuitive insights. The examples are well known, if not common knowledge. I expected more. Do we really need to know that Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela were all associated with social movements? …or that 1989 was a big year for social movements globally?

Towards the end, the authors take up questions of movement dynamics and leadership. The discussion here is more interesting. The discussion of strategic and agency issues also has some content to it, but definitive positions are lacking and one is left with the notion that social movement dynamics are complex. The book concludes with a discussion of social movement outcomes and we are left with the idea that these movements “matter” in a multitude of ways. Really?

[Martin Sheeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for covering the general theories behind social movements. Could benefit from a different editor.

[Nina Marcineková · Rating 3 out of 5]

suché jak sa na učebnicu patrí

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible introduction to analyzing social movements. Probably most useful for beginning undergraduates. It's organized around five questions:

1. What conditions account for the generation of mobilizing grievances?
2. What contextual conditions facilitate the emergence of social movements?
3. Why do only certain individuals participate in social movements?
4. How do social movements make change happen?
5. What difference do social movements make?

This book is exclusively focused on social movements, rather than on contentious politics more generally. Although it's narrowly focused, I wouldn't say that it's particularly deep. That's not a knock on this book. It's a great book for first and perhaps second year undergraduates. However, I think that Tilly and Tarrow's book, Contentious Politics, might be a bit more engaging for upper division students.

[May Somyanontanakul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for anyone who may not be familiar with the topic, social movements, or may want to keep up with what social movement scholars have been through since 1960s. I would say this book is not addressed much about current transnational movements.

[Sasha]

Does what it says on the box.