Posted: August 14th, 2022

Sociological analysis of contemporary social movements around issues like racial justice

Sociological analysis of contemporary social movements around issues like racial justice, gun control, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive rights. Continued research on group dynamics and social change.

Social movements are purposeful, organized groups that strive to work toward a common social goal, such as challenging or defending existing institutional and/or cultural systems of authority and their associated practices (Moss and Snow 2016). Sociological analysis of social movements involves examining the causes and consequences of collective action, as well as the structural and cultural factors that shape these movements (Gurumuda 2021).

Some of the contemporary social movements that have attracted sociological attention are those around issues like racial justice, gun control, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive rights. These movements reflect the diverse and contested nature of social problems and the ways that different groups mobilize to address them. They also illustrate the importance of political opportunities, mobilizing structures, and cultural framings in explaining the emergence, dynamics, and outcomes of social movements (McAdam et al. 1996).

Political opportunities refer to the changing conditions in the political environment that affect the chances of success or failure for social movements. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement emerged in response to the police brutality and racial discrimination faced by African Americans in the United States, and gained momentum after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked global protests and solidarity actions. The movement also benefited from the increased media attention, public awareness, and political support for its cause (Ray et al. 2017).

Mobilizing structures refer to the organizational and network resources that enable collective action. For example, the gun control movement in the United States has relied on various groups and coalitions, such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, March for Our Lives, and Giffords, to coordinate campaigns, lobby legislators, mobilize supporters, and raise funds. The movement has also used social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, to spread information, recruit participants, and organize events (Karpf 2017).

Cultural framings refer to the meanings and interpretations that motivate and justify collective action. For example, the LGBTQ+ rights movement has used various frames, such as human rights, civil rights, identity politics, and intersectionality, to articulate its demands and goals, such as marriage equality, antidiscrimination laws, health care access, and social recognition. The movement has also employed symbols, narratives, rituals, and identities to create a sense of collective identity and solidarity among its members (Taylor et al. 2018).

Reproductive rights are another issue that has generated social movements on both sides of the debate. The pro-choice movement advocates for the right of women to have access to safe and legal abortion services, as well as other reproductive health care options. The pro-life movement opposes abortion on moral or religious grounds, and seeks to restrict or ban it. Both movements use different frames to appeal to their supporters and opponents, such as autonomy, dignity, justice, life, morality, and religion (Ferree et al. 2002).

These examples show that sociological analysis of social movements can provide insights into the complex and dynamic processes of social change that involve multiple actors, interests, values, and strategies. Continued research on group dynamics and social change can help us understand how social movements emerge, evolve, interact, influence, and are influenced by society.

References:

Ferree M.M., Gamson W.A., Gerhards J., Rucht D. (2002) Shaping Abortion Discourse: Democracy and the Public Sphere in Germany and the United States. Cambridge University Press.

Gurumuda (2021) Sociological Analysis of Social Movements. https://gurumuda.net/sociology/sociological-analysis-of-social-movements.htm

Karpf D. (2017) Analyzing the Strategic Culture of American Gun Control Advocacy. In: Karpf D., Kreiss D., Nielsen R., Powers E. (eds) The Civic Media Reader. MIT Press.

McAdam D., McCarthy J.D., Zald M.N. (eds) (1996) Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunities,
Mobilizing Structures,
and Cultural Framings.
Cambridge University Press.

Moss D.M., Snow D.A. (2016) Theorizing Social Movements.
In: Turner B.S., Kyung-Sup C., Epstein C.F., Kivisto P., Outhwaite W., Ryan J.M.
(eds) The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Theory.
Wiley Blackwell.

Ray R., Brown M., Fraistat N., Summers E.
(2017) How Social Media Helps Black Lives Matter Fight
the Power.
The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-helps-black-lives-matter-fight-the-power-86701

Taylor V., Whittier N., Rupp L.J. (2018) Identity Politics and Social Movements. In: Snow D.A., della Porta D., Klandermans B., McAdam D. (eds) The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements. Wiley Blackwell.

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