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Description
This module will investigate the politics of social movements. When and why do people mobilize to make demands against their states and societies? What contextual conditions enable such mobilization, and under what conditions does mobilization decline? Finally, do movements actually matter for bringing about change? This course is designed to gain leverage on these questions by surveying an eclectic literature (from various disciplines) on social movements. The goal of the course is to better understand a series of movements that have captured the world鈥檚 attention across various moments in time, while developing the conceptual skills that provide an introduction to social movement theory in political science. To understand why people participate in protests and how they overcome coordination problems, we will consider examples of social movemets from countries around the world. In doing so, we will take an in-depth empirical look at historical and contemporary movements (e.g. women鈥檚 rights, LGBTI rights, immigrant rights, environmental protection, and racial justice). A comparative and transnational analysis of these movements across multiple domestic contexts will give us an angle with which to critically assess the theoretical concepts we will engage. The module will also study the relationship between the state and social movements, and the conditions under which protesters can gain the support of public opinion and influence government policy.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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