Pick A Social Movement To Discuss 555166

Pick A Social Movement To Discuss You May Refer To One Of The S

Pick a social movement to discuss. You may refer to one of the social movements listed in our text or you may find a peer-reviewed journal article that adequately describes a social movement. A) Briefly describe the social movement in your own words. B) What type of movement is/was it (revolutionary/reform, instrumental/expressive)? Explain your answer. C) Apply one microsocial or macrostructural explanation of social movements to your chosen movement. How does this explanation account for the origins of this social movement? D) Completely Optional: Using Smelser's "types of responses by the authorities to social movements," explain the outcomes of this social movement.

Paper For Above instruction

Social movements serve as powerful catalysts for societal change, embodying collective efforts to promote or oppose significant societal issues. For this discussion, I have selected the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, a pivotal social movement that challenged racial segregation and discrimination from the 1950s through the 1960s. This movement aimed to achieve racial equality and justice through nonviolent protests, legal challenges, and grassroots activism.

The Civil Rights Movement can be classified as a reform movement, as it sought to alter specific laws, policies, and societal attitudes rather than completely overhaul the existing social system. Its primary objective was to reform discriminatory laws and practices, such as segregation laws and voting restrictions, to create a more equitable society. Unlike revolutionary movements, which aim to dismantle and replace the entire social order, reform movements work within the existing framework to bring about change.

Applying a macrostructural explanation, such as resource mobilization theory, helps elucidate the origins of the Civil Rights Movement. This theory suggests that the movement emerged due to the availability of resources—organizational structures, leadership, funding, and communication networks—that enabled collective action. Civil rights organizations like the NAACP and SCLC provided the infrastructure necessary for organizing protests, legal actions, and outreach efforts. Economic and political opportunities also played a crucial role, with legal victories like Brown v. Board of Education and federal legislative acts such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 creating conducive environments for activism and societal shifts.

Using Smelser's "types of responses by the authorities to social movements," the outcomes of the Civil Rights Movement can be viewed as a combination of accommodation and repression. Initially, some authorities attempted repression, such as police brutality against protesters. However, sustained activism and public support eventually led to legislative changes and social acceptance, illustrating how authorities' responses can evolve from suppression to accommodation, facilitating societal progress.

References

• McAdam, D. (1982). Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970. University of Chicago Press.
• Polletta, F. (2002). Freedom is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements. University of Chicago Press.
• McCarthy, J. D., & Zald, M. N. (1977). Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A partial theory. American Journal of Sociology, 82(6), 1212–1241.
• Smelser, W. R. (1996). Sociological Theory of Collective Behavior. Routledge.
• Tarrow, S. (2011). Power in Movement: Social Movements and Contentious Politics (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Morris, A. (1984). The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. Free Press.
• McAdam, D., & Scott, W., & Zald, M. (1996). Introduction: Opportunities, Mobilizing Structures, and Framing Processes. In McAdam, Tarrow & Tilly (Eds.), Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements (pp. 3–20). Cambridge University Press.
• Goldstone, J. (2003). Population and Security: How demography matters for peace and conflict. PDF.
• Snow, D. A., & Soule, S. (2010). A Primer on Social Movements. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Carroll, S. J., & Ratner, J. (2014). Activism and Social Movements. In Ritzer (Ed.), The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed., pp. 495–510). SAGE Publications.