Rethinking Social Movements

This landmark volume brings together some of the titans of social movement theory in a grand reassessment of its status. For some time, the field has been divided between a dominant structural approach and a cultural or constructivist tradition. The gaps and misunderstandings between the two sides - as well as the efforts to bridge them - closely parallel those in the social sciences at large. This book aims to further the dialogue between these two distinct approaches to social movements and to show the broader implications for social science as a whole as it struggles with issues including culture, emotion, and agency. Visit our website for sample chapters!

“This volume should be particularly valuable reading on social movements for academics and those with an advanced knowledge of social movement theories. True to its title, the book engages several important topics in these fields and gives one the feeling of being privy to discussions on the state-of-the-art of new research in an increasingly important body of work.”

[This book] is a most welcome and useful assessment of recent theory, one that will contribute to regenerating the field of social movements and contentious politics. Contemporary Sociology
Political Studies Review, (Uk)

Jeff Goodwin is professor of sociology at New York University. James M. Jasper is the author of several books including Nuclear Politics, The Animal Rights Crusade (with Dorothy Nelkin), The Art of Moral Protest, and Restless Nation.

This landmark volume brings together some of the titans of social movement theory in a grand reassessment of its status. For some time, the field has been divided between a dominant structural approach and a cultural or constructivist tradition. The gaps and misunderstandings between the two sides--as well as the efforts to bridge them--closely parallel those in the discipline of sociology at large. This book aims to further the dialogue between these two distinct approaches to social movements and to show the broader implications for sociology as a whole as it struggles with issues including culture, emotion, and agency.

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