social movements and social change chapter 18. copyright © 2007 pearson education canada 18-2 early...

Social Movements and Social Change

Chapter 18

18-2Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada

Early Explanations of Collective Behaviour Charles MacKay (1814-1889)

Herd Mentality Gustav LeBon (1841-1931)

Collective Mind• Crowds and feelings of anonymity• Feelings of invincibility

Contagion


Early Explanations of Collective Behaviour Herbert Blumer (1900-1987)

“Acting Crowd”• An excited group that moves toward a

goal• Tension or unrest• Exciting event• Milling• A common object of attention• Common impulses


Blumer’s Model of How an Acting Crowd Develops


Contemporary Theories of Collective Behaviour

The Minimax StrategyCosts and rewards of

participation


Contemporary Theories of Collective Behaviour

Emergent NormsNew definitions of “right and

wrong”• The ego-involved• The concerned• The insecure• The curious spectators• The exploiters


Forms of Collective Behaviour

Riots and DemonstrationsViolent crowd behaviour aimed against

people and property Panics

Unable to function properly due to fear; may flee

Moral PanicsLarge numbers of people become

concerned with some behaviour thought to threaten morality


Forms of Collective Behaviour

Rumours Thrive in conditions of ambiguity; fill in missing

information Short-lived

Fads and Fashions Fad:

• Behaviour that briefly catches people’s attention• Spreads by suggestion, imitation, & identification with people

already involved in the fad Fashion:

• A fad that lasts Urban Legends

Stories with an ironic twist; sound realistic, but are false


Social Movements

Large numbers of people who organize to promote or resist social change• Proactive Social Movements• Reactive Social Movements

Social Movement Organizations


Types of Social Movements

Alterative Social MovementsSeek only to alter a particular

behaviour of individualse.g., MADD (Mothers Against Drunk

Driving)

Redemptive Social MovementsTotal change of individualse.g., Christianity



Reformative Social MovementsReform a specific aspect of societye.g., environmental movements

Transformative Social MovementsSeek to transform the social order

itselfe.g., revolutions


Tactics of Social Movements

Membership The Publics Relationship to Authorities Other Factors


The Membership and Publics of

Social Movements


Social Movements & the Media

Public Opinion Propaganda


Why People Join Social Movements Mass Society Theory

Mass society: an impersonal, industrialized, highly bureaucratized society

Effects of social isolation Deprivation Theory

The desire to achieve money, justice, status, or privilege

“Relative deprivation theory”


Why People Join Social Movements Moral Issues and Ideological

Commitment“moral shock”“ideological commitment”

The Agent Provocateur“Insider” whose job it is to infiltrate

social movements, perhaps sabotage activities


The Life Course of Social Movements

5 StagesInitial unrest and agitationResource mobilizationOrganizationInstitutionalizationOrganizational decline and

possible resurgence


Social Change

The alteration of culture and society over time

Brought about by people organized into social movements


How Technology Changes Society

TechnologyToolsSkills or procedures to make and

use tools Postindustrial or Postmodern Societies Technology: Artificial means of

extending human abilities New Technologies


How Technology Changes Society

ModernizationThe changes brought about by

industrializationEffects on social life


Comparing Traditional & Modern Societies


Technology: Ogburn’s Theory of Social Change

Invention Discovery Diffusion Cultural Lag

A Two-Way Process?


Technology: Transforming Society

Transformation of Existing Technologies

Changes in Social Organization Changes in Ideology Transformation of Values Transformation of Social

Relationships


Technology: Transforming Society The Automobile

Displacement of Existing Technology

Effects on CitiesChanges in ArchitectureChanged Courtship Customs and

Sexual NormsEffects on Women’s Roles


Technology: Transforming Society The Computer

• Medicine• Education• The Workplace


Technology: Transforming Society

Cyberspace and Social Inequalities in the 21st Century

Information superhighway Information haves and have-nots Who controls the superhighway?


Contemporary Theories of Social Change Evolutionary Theories

Unilinear TheoriesMultilinear Theories

Marxist Conflict Theories Cyclical Theories Feminist Theories Postmodern Theories


Contemporary Theories of Social Change

social movements and social change chapter 18. copyright © 2007 pearson education canada 18-2 early...

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