Social Movement Theory Research Articles

Reassessing ayahuasca regulation in Brazil: strategic framing and cumulative gains

Background In the early twentieth century, ayahuasca gained popularity in northern Brazil, causing political tension due to moral hostility. However, over the course of the century, despite the proscription of DMT and the intensification of the ‘War on Drugs’, three phases of cumulative political gains eventually led to the full regulation of ayahuasca, in 2010. How was this achieved? Methods This paper provides a comprehensive reassessment of the existing literature on ayahuasca in Brazil, utilizing social movement theory. Emphasis is placed on framing methods, or how movements strategically present their aims to particular audiences, in order to effect political change. Results First, ayahuasca churches constructed a religious frame that emphasized their Christian pedigree. Second, when harassment intensified, ayahuasca was reframed as a charitable endeavour. Finally, in the transition to democracy, the religions added a scientific frame, collaborating with the state to review scientific evidence and establish policy parameters for regulation. Conclusion Framing ayahuasca as Christian and focusing on charity and science were neither straightforward nor unproblematic, but did allow ayahuasca groups to successfully avoid persecution, establish relationships with powerful actors, and eventually achieve full regulation. This case study provides unique insights into the role of social movements in successful drug policy reform, especially how movements can strategically adapt to and influence prevailing moral codes, resulting in concrete political victories.

Entangled social movements: extractivism and water justice in El Salvador

ABSTRACT El Salvador’s 2017 national metal mining ban and contentious 2021 water law seemingly represent distinct cases of social movement victory and failure. However, this study deploys relational methodologies to examine how El Salvador’s anti-metal mining and water justice movements emerged together, became partially separated, and remained thoroughly entangled. The concept of social movement entanglement builds on and extends dominant notions of relationality in social movement studies by emphasizing processes of intra-relation, mutual constitution and becoming-with. Rather than study how separate movements interact, investigating entanglement highlights how social movements become separated and remain entangled through acts of material and discursive politics. Examining the entangled origins, mobilizations, and outcomes of El Salvador’s anti-metal mining and water justice movements shows how these movements were neither the same nor distinct. Salvadorans bearing the brunt of water injustices lived these movements as one struggle. However, to pass the historic metal mining ban required anti-mining activists to distance their social movement goals and discourses from the more politically contentious and legally complex water law. Vitally, the strategic separation of these movements led to their further entanglement, as the historic ban informed, reinforced, and legitimized transformations within the water justice movement. From their origins to their evolving presents, El Salvador’s water and mining politics have remained entangled. Such entanglements implicate social movement theory, methodology and praxis in El Salvador and beyond and center the power-relations that shape what counts as social movement success and failure, and whose interests and environments are worth fighting for.

The uphill battle for reinventing post-industrial regions: The case of Greater Manchester's ‘clean growth’ mission

In this paper we enrich the concept of place-based leadership. Building on social movement theory, our analysis of the clean growth mission development in Greater Manchester (UK) reveals the role of place-based leadership in mobilising and coordinating framing processes that linked the global climate change problem with local challenges, articulated local benefits of its resolution, and provided justification for local change efforts. We draw on theories of the policy process (i.e. Multiple Streams Framework) to shed light on how place-based leaders frame problems and solutions strategically to engender policy change. While framing processes had an impact on local policy agendas, we do not find evidence of accelerated implementation, pointing to the important distinctions between problem ownership and solution ownership in the context of wicked problems. Our findings contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of multi-level governance and localised agency in problem-based policymaking for sustainable regional development.

From liberation to rights: the organized men’s movement in Norway, 1978–1980

ABSTRACT This research article investigates the historical and organizational dynamics of the Norwegian Men’s Liberation Movement, contrasting it with similar men’s movements in Western contexts. Emerging in the 1970s, men’s liberation movements in the United States and other Western countries initially sought to address male roles through feminist-inspired critiques but evolved into platforms expressing male grievances, leading to the rise of men’s rights activism. The study focuses on Norway’s ‘Mannebevegelsen’, which, unlike its counterparts, did not transition into a typical men’s rights agenda but was influenced by a specific demographic – fathers without custody – shaping its objectives and leading to its structural and ideological fragility. This shift underscores the significance of organizational structure in influencing the trajectory and longevity of men’s movements. Utilizing social movement theory and a detailed examination of the Norwegian context, this paper explores why the movement diverged from similar movements in Sweden and Denmark, and why the Norwegian experiment proved relatively short-lived. The findings highlight how different factors, beyond ideological shifts, such as individual agency and backing from ‘agency-laden institutions’, critically shape the evolution of men’s movements.

Understanding diversification of strategies and tactics in Swedish mining resistance: the fanning-out effect of goals and contextual opportunities

Europe is witnessing increasing protests against mining. Social movements mobilizing against resource extraction projects, (i.e. anti-extraction movements) are typically heterogeneous actor networks using diverse tactics to stop projects and promote other forms of societal development. I investigate two prominent anti-extraction movements in Sweden and explore how movement actors’ goals and interpretations of contextual opportunities shape their strategies and tactics. I study tactics over eleven years and use frame analysis to explore actors’ goals, interpretations, and strategies. Results show how diverse goals lead to diversification of tactics in movements by prompting movement actors to relate to different policy areas, that is, issue-specific contexts. Furthermore, actors’ experiences of interacting in different issue-specific contexts created differences in actors’ retrospective reasoning, which reinforced variation in tactics by informing interpretations of contextual opportunities. The study contributes to social movement theory by explicating how the content of goals shape interpretations of contextual opportunities and by extension diversify movement actors’ strategies and tactics. This adds to the understanding of how socio-political context influence tactical choices in concert with other explanations such as action traditions, diffusion, and available resources. Understanding diversification of movement tactics is important for handling increasingly complex conflicts over natural resources.

‘Against imposition, we defend education’: teachers’ movements against austerity and neoconservative reforms in the Spanish context

ABSTRACT Between 2011 and 2015, at the dawn of the global financial crisis, Spain went through severe austerity measures that led to social unrest and to the emergence of new expressions of collective action. In the educational field, teachers’ unions and grassroots movements organised against the neoliberal and neoconservative policies promoted by the central government and several regional governments. The case of the Teachers’ Assembly in the Balearic Islands is particularly relevant because it was a highly successful protest experience that triggered unprecedented social mobilisation and broad social support. Drawing on social movement theories and combining semi-structured interviews with document and media analysis, this study finds that the combination of alliance-building, disruptive collective actions, and framing processes was key to explaining the success of the social mobilisation.

NGO Activism and Anti‐Corruption Disclosures: An Empirical Study of Emerging Economy Multinational Companies

AbstractBuilding on social movement theory, we investigate particular stakeholder contexts, including non‐governmental organization (NGO) activism, within which emerging economy multinational companies (EMNCs) are more likely to disclose anti‐corruption information. By leveraging Transparency International's unique dataset on anti‐corruption disclosures by EMNCs, we find that EMNCs disclose more anti‐corruption information in countries with a lower level of government oppression of NGOs, greater transparency of NGOs, as well as a greater number of anti‐corruption NGOs operating in such markets. EMNCs with a higher level of internationalization exhibit more anti‐corruption disclosures when they are based in countries with a higher level of NGO transparency and a lower level of government oppression of NGOs. Anti‐corruption disclosures of EMNCs are more responsive to corruption scandals when they are headquartered in less repressive countries and countries with a higher level of NGO transparency. This study provides original insights into whether and how the NGO‐driven social movement process in institutional environments plays a role in influencing the anti‐corruption disclosure and transparency practices of EMNCs. We argue that, within the context of emerging economies, unless we consider the interactions of NGO activism with internationalization and corruption scandals, we will be unable to fully understand anti‐corruption disclosure practices by EMNCs.

Local environmental organizations and long-term investor value appropriation

This study uses datasets representing local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to examine how local environmental organizations enhance long-term investor value appropriation (LIVA). We explore how external and internal firm factors influence the impact of local activism. Our results indicate a positive effect of local activism on LIVA, particularly in contexts where local communities and firm governance structures prioritize long-term value. Furthermore, in examining the mechanisms through which local environmental organizations affect LIVA, we find that firms tend to increase their environmental disclosures in response to local activism. These findings support the social movement theory that social activities inspire firms' social and environmental activities and reporting practices, subsequently affecting LIVA.

Interrogating the Dynamics of Social Movements in Burkina Faso and Nigeria

Two waves of mass protests were remarkable across West Africa in the first two decades of the 21st century. Drawing from the experiences of Burkina Faso and Nigeria, this study situates these mass protests within the temporal theory of social movements and argues that the focus of the protests in each wave shifted from protests against specific neoliberal economic reforms to discontent with governance institutions. However, the underlying driver of the mass protests remained the deteriorating condition of the underclass. The study explains the recurring character of mass protests and why they will remain everyday experiences across West Africa.

The evolution of research on digital communication and social protests: A bibliometric analysis

The rise of digital communication technologies has significantly changed how people participate in social protests. Digital platforms—such as social media—have enabled individuals to organize and mobilize protests on a global scale. As a result, there has been a growing interest in understanding the role of digital communication in social protests. This manuscript provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolution of research on digital communication and social protests from 2008 to 2022. The study employs bibliometric methodology to analyze a sample of 260 research articles extracted from the SCOPUS core collection. The findings indicate a significant increase in scholarly investigations about digital communication and its role in social protest movements during the past decade. The number of publications on this topic has increased significantly since 2012—peaking in 2022—indicating a heightened interest following COVID-19. The United States, United Kingdom, and Spain are the leading countries in publication output on this topic. The analysis underlines scholars employing a range of theoretical perspectives—including social movement theory, network theory, and media studies—to identify the relationship between digital communication and social protests. Social media platforms—X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube—are the most frequently studied and utilized digital communication tools engaged in social protests. The study concludes by identifying emerging topics relating to social movements, political communication, and protest, thereby suggesting gaps and opportunities for future research.

Conspiracy theories and the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: the rise, radicalization, and fall (?) of YamatoQ-kai

Abstract This article investigates how conspiracy theories, spirituality, and resistance against pandemic-mitigation measures became intertwined during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis in Japan. Utilizing selected concepts from social movement theories (SMT), this case study-driven exploratory analysis focuses on the activities of YamatoQ-kai, a civil society organization that originated in a group of conspiracy-theory influencers and whose activities included the dissemination of an anti-immunization agenda. By analysing online posts on the organization’s homepage and journalistic reports on the organization, the article illuminates the underlying implications of the conspiracy theorists’ activism and demonstrates how the group adopted QAnon’s conspiracy rhetoric whilst taking a Japanized form. Second, it explains YamatoQ’s pivotal place amongst the Japanese societal actors espousing vaccine-hesitant attitudes. Finally, it shows how the group—as an unconventional case of conspirituality—created tangible experiences for followers and demonstrates the affective impact of group solidarity. In this way, the article’s findings contribute to closing the research gaps in scholarship on conspiracy theories, vaccine scepticism, and conspirituality.

Advancing advocacy communication theory: a theory grounded in undocumented college students’ motivations and strategies for challenging oppression

ABSTRACT Undocumented college students experience a myriad of stressors (e.g. fear of deportation, limited access to educational resources; Enriquez, Morales Hernandez & Ro. 2018. Deconstructing immigrant illegality: A mixed-methods investigation of stress and health among undocumented college students. Race and Social Problems, 10(3), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-018-9242-4) because of systemic oppression, and they often engage in various advocacy efforts to challenge those oppressive systems. Although different persuasion (e.g. Reasoned Action Approach, Anger Activism Model; Fishbein & Ajzen. 2010. Predicting and changing behavior: The reasoned action approach. Psychology Press; Turner. 2007. Using emotion in risk communication: The anger activism model. Public Relations Review, 33(2), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2006.11.013) and social movements theories (e.g. Mass Society Theory; Theory of Relative Deprivation; Bernstein & Crosby. 1980. An empirical examination of relative deprivation theory. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16(5), 442–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(80)90050-5) can describe why minoritized group members advocate on behalf of their ingroup, these theories primarily focus on traditional advocacy efforts. rather than representing advocacy as multidimensional. Consequently, this paper introduces Advocacy Communication Theory (ACT), which argues that advocacy communication is a complex and multidimentional process consisting of advocacy strategies at the individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and policy levels. ACT also identifies predictors of advocacy communication by drawing from communication and psychological factors, and it discusses the potential health implications associated with engaging in advocacy communication.

The Influence of the #MeToo Movement on Socio-Political Dynamics in the MENA Region

This research explains the influence of the #MeToo movement phenomenon on social and political dynamics in the MENA. Against the backdrop of slow structural change and an authoritarian social contract in the region, the #MeToo movement expanded the space for women and men to overcome cultural taboos regarding gender-based violence. With social movement theory, this research analyses this phenomenon through political opportunities, mobilisation structures, and artistic framing. The analysis results show that the #MeToo movement in MENA gives women and men a voice in fighting gender oppression, changing cultural norms, and demanding policy reform by involving social media as a critical tool to trigger a change in society's perception of sexual violence and provide the impetus for broader reform in women's rights in the region.

After the Greenfire Revolution: Reimagining Collective Identities of the Future Wildland Fire Workforce in a Paradigm Shift for Ecological Fire Management

This concept paper explores possible collective identities for a future wildland fire workforce. Taking inspiration from the work of futurists who foresee an end to the dominant fire exclusion/suppression paradigm, and assuming that an emerging fire restoration/resilience paradigm shift replaces it, this paper engages in speculative explorations of the process and product of this paradigm shift with respect to the future collective identities of a workforce conducting ecological fire management. Social constructionist assumptions from symbolic interactionist sociological theory, Gramscian political theory’s concept of hegemony, and new social movement theory’s concept of collective identity all provide the intellectual foundations for the discussion. This concept paper argues that in order to actualize a paradigm shift, more than advances in scientific research or reforms of government policies will be required—the wildland fire community will need to become (or join) a social movement engaged in collective actions. An imaginary social movement, the “Greenfire revolution,” is invented to help illustrate how the selected theories and concepts might apply in the social construction of ecological fire management and the collective identities of its future workforce.

Pengaruh Keterampilan Kewirausahaan Perempuan Terhadap Peningkatan Pendapatan Di Kabupaten Jember

A skill in women's entrepreneurship is needed because it can increase income in the Jember Regency area. Women who have skills tend to be more able to start and run their businesses well. With good skills, it is also more possible for women to be more flexible in facing an economic challenge. A business also needs the right marketing strategy and in accordance with the target market to be targeted. This strategy is useful for facing challenges or obstacles that exist in a women's entrepreneurship. This study aims to determine the influence of women's entrepreneurial skills in increasing income in Jember Regency using Tony Barnett's theory of social movements. In this study, the research method used is qualitative with data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of this study show that women's entrepreneurial skills in increasing income are still very effective to be carried out because these skills are useful for attracting the attention of customers to be interested in buying the products that have been offered. It needs to be improved in terms of promoting the products offered so that the social media owned is more crowded and the products are better known by many people, especially among students.

Revolusi Kampus, Wajah Baru Islam di Amerika

Israel's brutal attacks on Palestinian land continue. More than 35,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed. Most of the victims are women and children. The genocide committed by Israel and funded by the United States (US) has been condemned by the world. Interestingly, a massive wave of protests was carried out by students on prominent campuses in the US. This ally of Israel deployed a large number of police officers to stop student action. More than 1000 students from various campuses in the US were arrested by local police. However, the action did not stop and actually expanded to hundreds of campuses. The US student social movement confirms the theory of social movements led by youth and students, which is undeniable. The US student solidarity action has erupted into a campus revolution that places students as the main actors and agents of change. The campus revolution in the US has succeeded in giving a new color to US democracy that melts ideological barriers. The campus revolution in the US also presents a new face of Islam in the land of Pamansam, which is dominated by young people and scholars.

KI SAMIN SUROSENTIKO: THE STRUGGLE OF RATU ADIL 1889-1914

The research topic in this study examines the role and autobiography of Ki Samin Surosentiko or Raden Kohar, who was a farmer who became a preacher and messiah in the saminism movement in the period 1889-1914. The teachings of Ageman Adam or Religions of Adam, the concepts of millenarianism, messianism were used to oppose the policy of tax payment and land tenure through the sikep resistance movement the Dutch East Indies Government in Central Java and East Java. This research is a historical research using historical research methodology so that this research aims to reveal historical facts from the perspective of the Dutch East Indies and saminism by using primary historical and newspapers as well as historical records of teaching saminism figures and using the approach of resistance theory and social resistance movement theory. The result of this research is, that Samin Surosentiko is a lineage of Javanese aristocrats who are considered to have charisma, magic, or sekti. Therefore, he is believed to be a messiah or Ratu Adil figure who is believed to bring salvation, revive the glory days of the indigenous people in the past, and can bring freedom from European colonialism. There is a fact that Saminism followers do not always carry out sikep resistance that prioritise the teachings and values preached by Samin Soerosentiko. There was one of the followers of Samin Soerosentiko, named Modongso who fought back with violence due to the arrest of Samin Surosentiko in 1907 by the Dutch East Indies Government.

Hasan al-Turabi's Pragmatic Approach to Establishing an Islamic State in Sudan

This research examines the pragmatic approach of Hasan al-Turabi, a key figure in the Sudanese Islamic movement, in fighting for an Islamic state. Using qualitative analysis that combines the concepts of pragmatism and social movement theory, this study reveals al Turabi's strategy in translating Islamic ideals into political action, including building alliances with various religious factions and exploiting revolutionary momentum. Findings demonstrate al-Turabi's success in advancing Islamization and shaping Sudan's socio-political landscape but also faced challenges in the consistent implementation of Sharia and protection of the rights of marginalized groups. Comparisons with Islamist figures such as Rached Ghannouchi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlight the particularities of the Sudanese context and variations in the strategies and outcomes of political Islamist movements. This study deepens our understanding of the complex dynamics between political pragmatism and religious idealism in Muslim countries, with important implications for inclusive governance. Through a critical exploration of al-Turabi's legacy, this research contributes to discussions about the future of Islamic politics that accommodates diversity and protects the rights of marginalized groups.

Новые социальные движения во Франции как исторический феномен и социологическая концепция

The term “new social movements” refers both to new forms of mobilization that appeared in the 1960s, and to a set of theoretical works in the field of social movements analysis. This article examines various theoretical approaches to the study of new social movements, presented by A. Touraine, С. Castoriadis, M. de Certeau, P. Champagne. It is noted that nowadays the theory of new social movements is being criticized. Despite the fact that the social movements of the 1970s in France contributed to the emergence of a new theoretical approach to their study, many aspects of their novelty may be disputed. Moreover, the year 1968 had a lasting impact on changes in the culture and behavior of the French, and also gave rise to a generation of activists inclined to invest their energy in the activities of social movements. By interrogating the historical roots, theoretical foundations, and modern manifestations of new social movements, scholars can contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping modern social movements.

Autoimmunities after COVID: An Interview with Cindy Patton

Cindy Patton is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. An early AIDS activist in Boston, she holds a PhD in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After inaugurating her academic career at Temple University (Rhetoric and Community) and Emory University (Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts), she accepted a Canada Research Chair in Community, Culture and Health at Simon Fraser (2003-15). In that capacity, she worked with more than two dozen groups to develop small community-driven projects related to HIV/AIDS, housing, social welfare, mental health, while achieving, culminating in the creation of the Community Health Online Digital Research Resource, a catalogued, open-access, full-text collection of the materials from those groups (www.chodarr.org). Her academic publications span the social study of medicine, especially AIDS; social movement theory; gender studies; and media studies. She is the coeditor of Queer Diasporas (2000) and a special issue of Cultural Studies on Pierre Bourdieu (2003). She is the author of such works as Globalizing AIDS (2002), Cinematic Identity: Anatomy of a Problem Film (1997), Fatal Advice: How Safe-Sex Education Went Wrong (1996), Inventing AIDS (1990), and LA Plays Itself/Boys in the Sand: A Queer Film Classic (2014). Taken collectively, Patton’s scholarship and activism has laid the foundation for insights in the health humanities, particularly AIDS studies, that consider the inextricable connections between epidemiology and ideology. Patton’s theorizations of stigma and discrimination patterns, her deconstruction of “truth” discourses subtending science, her critical re-evaluations of axioms associated with risk, safe sex, community, and knowledge production have been crucial interventions in the understanding of health and illness as cultural and discursive scripts. Among Patton’s most enduring contributions has been her theorization of how “African AIDS” was invented and circulated—that is, the notion of geographically bifurcated HIV pandemics split by the essential linkage between Africa and blackness generally with pathogenesis. Equally influential has been her elaboration of the insurgent queer research practices that fused with antiracist struggle to combat this split. In the interview below, Travis Alexander and Nishant Shahani engage Patton in a discussion on a range of topics—from (dis)continuities between the HIV/AIDS and COVID pandemics to the role of queer activism in forging epidemiological counter-publics and the geopolitics of medical bureaucracy.