Exam 1 Definitions

Question 1

social movement

Answer 1

“Collective challenges, based on common purposes and social solidarities, in sustained interaction with elites, opponents, and authorities.” “A set of opinions and beliefs in a population which represents preferences for changing some elements of the social structure and/or reward distribution of a society.”

Question 2

repertoire of collective action

Answer 2

the limited set of protest forms familiar during a given time

Question 3

claim-making performances

Answer 3

public gatherings of collective actors who use familiar tactics in making claims on the interests of targets

Question 4

contentious politics

Answer 4

episodic public interactions of claim-makers and their targets based on claims related to the interests of social movement actors or other claim-makers; includes contained and transgressive contention

Question 5

professionalized movements

Answer 5

movements that have leaders who are paid to work full-time for movement organizations, that often attract conscience constituents rather than beneficiaries, and that rely on financial contributions rather than activism from a large number of participants

Question 6

countermovement

Answer 6

a set of opinions and beliefs in a population opposed to a social movement

Question 7

social movement organization

Answer 7

a complex, or formal, organization which identifies its goals with the preferences of a social movement or a countermovement and attempts to implement those goals

Question 8

social movement industry

Answer 8

collection of social movement organizations within a movement

Question 9

social movement sector

Answer 9

all of the social movement industries in a society

Question 10

social movement community

Answer 10

networks of political involvement

Question 11

ideologically structured action

Answer 11

activities inspired by or promoting movement ideology that take place in every day life and within organizations and institutions

Question 12

collective behavior theory

Answer 12

theoretical approach to social movements that focuses on the grievances or strains that are seen as leading to collective behaviors outside of established institutions and politics

Question 13

symbolic interactionism

Answer 13

a social-psychological theory that focuses on the ways in which actors construct meanings through social interaction

Question 14

mass society theory

Answer 14

theory that collective behavior is a response to the social isolation that occurs in societies lacking in the secondary groups needed to bind people together and keep them attached to the mainstream society

Question 15

relative deprivation theory

Answer 15

theory that collective behavior is most likely when conditions start to improve and expectations rise, but the rate of improvement doesn’t match expectations and people feel deprived relative to others

Question 16

resource mobilization theory

Answer 16

a theoretical approach focusing on the resources, organization, and opportunities needed for social movement mobilization and collective action

Question 17

political process theory

Answer 17

a theoretical approach focusing on the interactions of social movement actors with the state and the role of political opportunities in the mobilization and outcomes of social movements

Question 18

resources

Answer 18

tangible and intangible assets available to social movement organizations and other actors

Question 19

movement entrepreneurs

Answer 19

social movement leaders who take the initiative to mobilize people with similar preferences into a movement or movement organization

Question 20

conscience constituents

Answer 20

persons or groups who contribute to movements but do not personally benefit from their achievements

Question 21

beneficiary constituents

Answer 21

aggrieved persons or groups that stand to benefit from the successes of a movement

Question 22

political opportunity

Answer 22

features of the political environment that influence movement emergence and success, including the extent of openness in the polity, shifts in political alignments, divisions among elites, the availability of influential allies, and repression or facilitation by the state

Question 23

mobilizing structures

Answer 23

formal and informal networks, groups, and organizational vehicles that movements use to recruit participants and organize action campaigns

Question 24

cycle of contention

Answer 24

a period of heightened conflict when a number of social movements are mobilized and engaged in collective action

Question 25

collective action frames

Answer 25

interpretations of issues and events that inspire and legitimate collective action

Question 26

framing perspective

Answer 26

emphasizes the role of movements in constructing cultural meanings; Movement leaders and organizations frame issues in particular ways to identify injustices, attribute blame, propose solutions, and motivate collective action.

Question 27

master frames

Answer 27

generic types of frames available for use by a number of different social movements

Question 28

discourse analysis

Answer 28

textual analysis of language and meanings in rhetoric and documents

Question 29

discursive opportunity structure

Answer 29

factors, such as cultural context and mass media norms, that shape movement discourse

Question 30

cultural opportunity structure

Answer 30

elements of cultural environments, such as ideologies, that facilitate and constrain collective action

Question 31

mobilization

Answer 31

process whereby a group that shares grievances or interests gains collective control over tangible and intangible resources

Question 32

recruitment

Answer 32

process of getting individuals to commit resources such as time, money, and skills to a movement

Question 33

adherents

Answer 33

those who believe in a cause and want to see movement goals achieved

Question 34

constituents

Answer 34

supporters who contribute resources to a movement

Question 35

rational choice theory

Answer 35

a theoretical approach that focuses on the costs and benefits of collective action for individuals

Question 36

free-rider problem

Answer 36

problem of getting individuals to participate in social movements or other collective action when they will reap the benefits of the collective action regardless of their personal participation or contributions

Question 37

collective good

Answer 37

a public good that cannot be withheld from any members of a group or population regardless of whether or not they work to achieve it

Question 38

selective incentives

Answer 38

benefits available exclusively to those who participate in collective action

Question 39

material incentives

Answer 39

selective incentives that involve tangible rewards such as money

Question 40

solidary incentives

Answer 40

selective incentives that come from associating with a group

Question 41

purposive incentives

Answer 41

selective incentives that come from the sense of satisfaction at having contributed to the attainment of a worthwhile cause

Question 42

bureaucratization

Answer 42

characteristic of movement organizations with established procedures for decision-making, a developed division of labor, explicit criteria for membership, and rules governing subunits such as standing committees or chapters

Question 43

formalization

Answer 43

bureaucratization

Question 44

centralization

Answer 44

characteristic of movement organizations in which there is a single center of decision-making power

Question 45

collective campaign

Answer 45

“aggregate of collective events or activities that appear to be oriented toward some relatively specific goal or good, and that occur within some proximity in space and time”

Question 46

multi-organizational field

Answer 46

the total set of organizations with which movement organizations might interact, including those that might either oppose or support the movement

Question 47

critical events

Answer 47

events that focus the attention of movement supporters, members of the public, and authorities on particular issues, creating threats and opportunities that influence movement mobilization and outcomes

Question 48

initiator movement

Answer 48

a movement that comes early in a cycle of protest and demonstrates to others that protest tactics can be used effectively

Question 49

spinoff movement

Answer 49

a movement that comes late in a protest cycle, modelled on earlier movements