Social Movement Project Study Human Rights Violations around the world to see how the creation of a social movement might better a group of people’s lives in a country outside of the United States (global perspective!) Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Parts of the Project Understanding how information is spread from person to person (collectivity) Why Social Movements need to happen or what might “spark” one Types of Social Movements Theories of Social Movements Stages of a Social Movement

Collective Behavior and Social Movements How societies change…

Studying Collective Behavior Activities involving a large number of people, often spontaneous, with the absence of well-defined norms Localized Dispersed

Localized Collectivities: Crowds A temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and whose members influence one another Example: PROTEST CROWD: PEOPLE ENGAGE IN A VARIETY OF ACTIONS, INCLUDING STRIKES AND BOYCOTTS A COLLEGE STUDENT SIT-IN

Acting Crowds Turn Violent Mob A highly emotional crowd that pursues a violent or DISTRUCTIVE goal Lynch mob Riots A social ERUPTION that is highly emotional, violent & undirected Watts, south central, after a LAKERS championship

Dispersed Collectivities & Mass Behavior Collective behavior among people dispersed over a wide geographical area Ways of Sharing Information Rumor Gossip Public opinion Propaganda Panic Mass hysteria Fads Fashions Disasters

Rumor and Gossip Rumor – unsubstantiated information people spread informally, often by word of mouth Gossip – is rumor about the personal affairs of others

Public Opinion & Propaganda Public opinion – widespread attitudes about controversial issues Propaganda– information presented with the intention of shaping public opinion

Panic & Mass Hysteria Panic- how people react to a perceived threat or other stimulus with irrational, frantic, and often self-destructive behavior Mass hysteria- how people respond to a real or imagined event often with irrational and even frantic fear and often self-destructive behavior

Fashions and Fads Fashions Fads A social pattern favored for a time by a large number of people Fashion characterizes all forms of art Traditional style gives way to changing fashion Can trickle down through less expensive copies Conspicuous Consumption – people buying expensive products simply to show-off their wealth Fads An unconventional social pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically Sometimes called crazes

Disasters An event, generally unexpected, that causes extreme harm to people and damage to property Natural disaster Technological disaster Intentional disaster

The social consequences of disasters of all types: 1) disasters cause damage to human community. 2) social damage is more serious when an event involves some toxic substance. 3) the social damage is most serious when the disaster is caused by the actions of others.

Theories of Crowd Behavior Why do Collectivities happen?

Theories of Collective Behavior Contagion Theory Convergence Theory Emergent-Norm Theory

Theories of Crowd Behavior Contagion Theory Crowds exert hypnotic influence over their members, people surrender to a “collective mind” its members rid themselves of inhibitions and act out and the crowd assumes a life of its own Critical evaluation Crowd actions result from the intentions and decisions of specific individuals Not necessarily irrational

Theories of Crowd Behavior Convergence Theory The crowd doesn’t generate the action, but rather the members themselves stimulate the action of the crowd Example: neighborhood groups concerned about crime and want to do something about it Critical evaluation Some people do things in a crowd that they would not have the courage to do alone Crows can intensify a sentiment simply by creating a critical mass of like-minded people

Theories of Crowd Behavior Emergent-Norm Theory People in crowds have mixed interests In less stable crowds (expressive, acting, and protest), norms may be vague or changing one does something and others jump on the “bandwagon” people in crowds make their own rules as they go along Critical evaluation A symbolic-interaction approach that POINTS out that PEOPLE in a crowd take on different roles

Studying Social Movements Organized activities that encourage or discourage social change

Four Types of Social Movements There are four types of social movements based on who is changed and how great the change is. Source: Based on Aberle (1966).

Types of Social Movements Alterative Least threatening to the status quo; limited change for limited people Redemptive Targets specific people for a radical change Reformative Limited social change that targets everyone Revolutionary The most extreme; seeks a basic transformation of an entire society

Theories of Social Movements Why do Social Movements happen?

Theories of Social Movements Deprivation Theory Mass-Society Theory Structural-Strain Theory Resource-Mobilization Theory Cultural Theory Political-Economy Theory New Social Movements Theory

Deprivation Theory Social movements arise among people who feel deprived or are lacking something in their lives Relative Deprivation – a perceived disadvantage arising from some specific comparison

Mass-Society Theory Socially isolated people seek out social movements as a way to gain a sense of belonging Movements are personal as well as political

Structural-Strain Theory Six factors encourage the development of these social movements: Structural conduciveness Arise out of perceptions of problems by the people Structural strain Experiencing relative deprivation Growth and spread of an explanation Making clear reasons and solutions for suffering Precipitating factors Specific events give rise to collection action Mobilization for action Action stage; Protest and rallies Lack of social control Authority either has a quick, harsh response or gives the “green light” for change

Resource-Mobilization Theory No social movement is likely to succeed or even get off the ground without substantial resources Money Human labor Offices and communication facilities Access to mass media

Cultural Theory Social Movements do not only depend on resources and political power but culture as well. People develop shared understandings of the world that legitimize and motivate collective action

Political-Economy Theory Social movements arise within capitalist societies because the capitalist economic system fails to meet the needs of the majority of people Karl Marx thought this would happen in all industrialized nations… it did not

New Social Movements Theory Emphasizes social movements in postindustrial societies that have a new focus Many older social movements were concerned with economic issues and small groups of people Most of today’s movements are international Tend to focus on cultural change and improving social and physical surroundings Draws support from middle and upper classes

Stages of Social Movements Stage one: emergence Perception that something is wrong Stage two: coalescence Defining itself and “going public” Stage three: bureaucratization Organizing rationally to get job done Stage four: decline Is the movement in need of regrouping or is it simply time for its demise? Reasons: Signals success has been reached Signals organizational problems (leadership, etc.) Leadership sells out to other interests Demise may result from state-sponsored repression

Stages in the Lives of Social Movements Social Movements typically go through four stages. The last is decline, which may occur for any of five reasons.

American Social Movements of the 21st Century Many of the nation’s serious social woes remain unchanged Poor public schools, crime, size of government, race relations, cost of political campaigns, health care costs, free speech, etc. Reasons why social movements will continue to be part of the American scene Protest should increase as more historically marginal groups gain a greater political voice Technology means people can stay current with events as they happen Because many problems are global in scope, only international cooperation can solve them

Social Change Social Change The transformation of culture and social institutions over time in Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies

Why Cultural Change Takes Place Culture and change Invention Production of new objects, ideas, and social patterns Discovery Taking note of existing elements of a culture Diffusion The spread of products, people and information from one culture to another

Other Reasons Why Conflict and social change Ideas and change Tensions and stressors between individuals and groups can bring about change Different groups gain and lose power and privilege as they struggle for their own positions Ideas and change Ideas can fuel social movements which bring about social change The idea of equal rights for everyone Demographics and change Increases and decreases in numbers of groups of people can lead to social change as society may need to expand and/or contract Need for jobs, housing, education, etc.

Modernity Process of Social Change Resulting From Industrialization Modernization Theory Modernity Process of Social Change Resulting From Industrialization

Characteristics of Modernity Decline of small, traditional towns High-tech communications puts small towns in touch with the world Expansion of personal choice An unending series of options referred to as “individualization” Increasing diversity in beliefs Modernization promotes a more rational, scientific world-view Future orientation and growing awareness of time People living in industrialized nations tend to focus more on the future than on the past

Powerlessness and Modernity Persistent social inequality undermines modern society’s promise of individual freedom Problems of relative disadvantage for racial and ethnic minorities Power of multinational corporations Does technology solve the world’s problems, or does it cause the world’s problems?

Modernization and the Future Modernization theory claims that in the past the entire world was poor and that technological change, especially the Industrial Revolution, enhanced human productivity and raised living standards in every nation Solution to poverty – promote technological development around the world

Modernization and the Future Dependency theory Today’s poor societies have little ability to modernize, even if they want to Rich nations achieved their modernization at the expense of poor ones Solution to poverty – Discontinue ties with rich countries that perpetuate current patterns of global inequality