Search results

The renascent focus on strategy in social movement research has made important contributions to our understanding of organizational dynamics, but has not been systematically applied to relational dynamics within movements as a whole. We begin to bridge that gap by presenting a framework for mapping the relative strategic positions of multiple collective actors along two dimensions of strategic orientation: the depth of challenge promoted and the breadth of appeal cultivated. This framework integrates a wider range of collective actors into analyses, and identifies distinct movement roles and contributions associated with different strategic positions. More importantly, the framework facilitates analysis of the overall distribution of actors across a movement and the nature and extent of linkages among them – what we refer to as strategic articulation. Drawing on a breadth of secondary research, we identify characteristics of movement distributions that facilitate stronger articulation and draw out their implications for intramovement relational dynamics – such as the balance between cooperation and competition, and the extent to which flanks are integrated or isolated.

Our research identifies political explicitness as a variable property among free spaces and its implications for the role that such spaces can potentially play vis-à-vis social movement mobilization. Specifically, spaces where politics are implicit (i.e., where political goals and values are not an explicit part of associative principles) can serve as sites where identities with affinities to social movements are cultivated while remaining open to those who do not already hold sympathetic views – representing free and open spaces. Our research draws on previously unexplored links between social movement research and leisure activity research, which explains processes of socialization across participant levels as a central dynamic in shaping collective values and individual participant identities. We illustrate our argument by exploring those processes within American belly dance as an example of a gendered leisure activity, and their influence on participants’ gender identity and related political attitudes. Findings are based on survey research of 103 dancers in the Salt Lake City, Utah, region. Data indicate wide acceptance of gender norm challenges, and affirm expectations of leisure activity research regarding community dynamics that promote such challenges.

Rebuild L.A. was the organizational response to the 1992 riots/rebellion in Los Angeles, created to promote economic development in the affected areas. This research links the initial failure of RLA to tensions in the public—private partnership concept on which it was based. While these tensions emanated from broader issues of state-market realignment, they were institutionalized within RLA by its chair. Peter Ueberroth, drawing from his previous public leadership positions with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and the Council on California Competitiveness. Analysis explains how those tensions shaped organizational processes within RLA and limit its policy legacy. Conclusions address the lessons which RLA offer for future utilization of public—private partnerships in American cities — focusing on the minimum requisites of participatory processes, role definition, and accountability.

The papers in this collection address a set of important issues facing our discipline. These issues cross national boundaries, and indeed are important far beyond the sociological sphere. My brief comments here will use these papers as a springboard for noting several important curricular challenges and trends for sociology, in particular, and academia, more generally, as we enter the next century.

Matthew E. Archibald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Emory University and studies health movements and health care organizations. His book, The Evolution of Self-Help (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), uses social movement and organizational theories to examine the sociopolitical and economic conditions promoting this unique form of healthcare delivery in the U.S. His most recent work combines these frameworks with social epidemiology to answer questions about community disadvantage and the provision of substance abuse treatment services.

Being a dancer who is also active in political change efforts, I've long been struck by the quote from the famous Russian-American anarchist and organizer Emma Goldman who said something to the effect that, “If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution.” Apparently, Goldman well understood the many intimate connections between emotions and work for political and social change. Those connections have to do not only with mobilization, but also with sustainability. For people to remain mobilized over the long haul they often require expressive outlets that are rich in emotion. Many might argue, as Goldman did, that at least some of this expression must be fun, enjoyable, and stimulating – like dancing, for example.

Eitan Y. Alimi is an assistant professor of political sociology at the Department of Political Science, Hebrew University. He received his PhD in sociology from Boston College in April 2004. His research interests include contentious politics and social movements, radicalization and political terrorism, and conflict resolution with special reference to Israeli political system and the Middle East. Recent publications include articles in Political Studies, British Journal of Political Science, International Journal of Press and Politics, Mobilization, International Political Science Review, Sociological Forum, Ricerche di Storia Politica, and the book, Israeli Politics and the First Palestinian Intifada (Alimi, 2007).