LIT 10 - Della Porta, Research on Social Movements and Political Violence Flashcards
What is a repertoire of action? Della Porta
A limited set of forms of protest that are commonly used in a particular time and place. Repertoires of action are learned from previous waves of protest in a country, but forms of action can also be adopted and adapted across nations.
What are protest cycles? Della Porta
Periods of increased protest activity, involving one or more issues and many protesting groups. Protest cycles typically develop a sharp peak and then decline.
How does violence escalate within protest cycles? Della Porta
During protest cycles, the development of forms of protest action follows a reciprocal process of innovation and adaptation, with each side responding to the other. As their adversaries adapt their tactics to counter those of the movement, social movements change their tactics in order to continue to mobilise. In the course of experimenting with different tactics, both dissidents and social control agents test “hard” techniques, thus creating resources for violence.
What is a political opportunity structure? Della Porta
A concept in social movement studies that describes the political context that influences protest repertoires. It consists of both a formal, institutional aspect and an informal, cultural one. Social movements develop and succeed not because they emerge to address new grievances, but rather because something in the larger political context allows existing grievances to be heard.
What are some examples of political opportunities? Della Porta
○Regime shifts
○Periods of political instability
○Changes in the composition of elites
How can the policing of protests impact political violence? Della Porta
The tactics used to police protests, and more generally the conditions under which public order and security are maintained, are particularly relevant in determining the evolution of radicalisation processes.
What is the resource mobilisation perspective on political violence? Della Porta
The resource mobilisation perspective focuses on the characteristics of organisations that go underground, as well as competition among and within organisations within the social movement sector.
What is the role of frames and narratives in political violence? Della Porta
Political violence is mainly symbolic: the cultural and emotional effects that it produces are more important than the material damage. Social movement research has stressed the role of cultural processes in the development of political violence, looking both inside and outside radical organisations.
How does social movement research analyse the role of culture in political violence? Della Porta
Social movement research analyses the role of culture in political violence through the concept of “frames”, which define the problem, identify protagonists and antagonists, and point to particular lines of action. Various frames may be constructed by both elites and social movements in order to mobilise support for their chosen course of action. They derive their explanatory consistency and emotional power through narratives or stories that connect the group’s collective past to their present situation. The clash of these cultural frames is an important aspect of the analysis of how violence escalates.
How does the symbolic interactionist perspective contribute to the study of political violence? Della Porta
The symbolic interactionist perspective, which focuses on how social movement activists perceive and construct their social reality, can help to single out some micro-dynamics of escalation.
What are some examples of micro-dynamics of escalation identified by symbolic interactionism? Della Porta
○State repression can create martyrs and myths, which delegitimise the state in the eyes of activists
.
○State repression can encourage secondary deviance, the individual’s even stronger commitment to his or her deviant behaviour
. This can bring about a radicalisation both of people who are directly hit by repression, but also the activation and radicalisation of supporters.
