Full Description
Presents an essential guide to understanding the dynamics of today's global social movements
Contemporary Social Movements: Descriptive & Historical Accounts responds to the urgent need for comprehensive, accessible overviews of the most consequential social movements shaping our world. Edited by renowned scholars in the field of social movements, this timely volume offers rich, empirically grounded, and historically situated portraits of 33 major contemporary movements. From the climate strike campaigns and #MeToo to right-wing populism and Islamist extremism, these movements reflect the multifaceted nature of modern collective action and the wide array of issues confronting societies across the globe.
Contemporary Social Movements brings together original contributions from leading experts, each tasked with describing the origins, trajectories, goals, and contemporary significance of a specific movement. Accessible chapters span seven thematic sections, including democratic struggles, economic and environmental justice, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, political polarization, and extremism. The book emphasizes descriptive clarity over theory-building, making it especially valuable for readers seeking to understand how movements emerge, evolve, and contend with power.
Providing a balanced and comprehensive view of a global range of movements, including progressive, conservative, and extremist groups, Contemporary Social Movements:
Offers 33 original, expertly written chapters by leading scholars with deep expertise in the specific movements they analyze
Reflects key areas of contemporary contention, from democracy and economics to identity and the environment
Addresses both proactive and reactive forms of collective action, helping readers understand the full spectrum of movement dynamics
Features movements often overlooked or misunderstood in mainstream discourse, such as AI safety activism and Hindu nationalism
Contextualizes movements in relation to broader political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments
Includes contemporary examples with immediate relevance, such as MAGA and Black Lives Matter
Encouraging critical engagement with the role of collective action in shaping societal change, Contemporary Social Movements: Descriptive & Historical Accounts is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in sociology, political science, global studies, and related fields. It is particularly relevant for courses on social movements, contentious politics, and social problems within BA, MA, and PhD degree programs.
Contents
Editors Biosketches vii
Contributor/Author Biosketches viii
Introduction 1
PART I: PRO- AND ANTI-DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENTS 5
Chapter 1: Right-wing Populist Political Movements 7
Kerem Morgül
Chapter 2: Trumpism, the Maga Movement, and 6 January 2021 14
Sidney Tarrow
Chapter 3: Democratic Uprisings and Unarmed Protests 22
Benjamin S. Case
Chapter 4: Hong Kong: From Anti-extradition to Anti-authoritarian Movement 28
Edmund W. Cheng, Samson Yuen
PART II: POLITICAL ECONOMY 35
Chapter 5: The Rise and Fall of the Tea Party Insurgency 37
Patrick Rafail, John D. McCarthy
Chapter 6: Anti-austerity Protests in Europe 43
Maria Kousis
Chapter 7: Labor Mobilization and Revitalization in the Twenty-first Century 49
Sara Gia Trongone, Barry Eidlin
Chapter 8: Anti-extraction Movements and Global Capitalism 56
Alessandro Morosin
Chapter 9: Anti-globalization Movements 63
James Goodman, S. A. Hamed Hosseini
PART III: ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS 71
Chapter 10: Anti-fossil Fuel Activism and Climate Change 73
Andrew Cheon
Chapter 11: Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Movements 80
Paul D. Almeida, Rasha Naseif, Luis Rubén González Márquez
Chapter 12: Greta Thunberg and the Climate Strike Movement 87
Mattias Wahlstrom, Katrin Uba
Chapter 13: Extinction Rebellion 93
Brian Doherty, Graeme Hayes, Clare Saunders
PART IV: RACE AND ETHNICITY 99
Chapter 14: Black Lives Matter in the United States and Around the World 101
Emmanuel Cannady, Elizabeth Jordie Davies
Chapter 15: The US Immigrant Rights Movement 108
Chris Zepeda-Millán, Ramon Garibaldo Valdez
Chapter 16: Indigenous Peoples' Movements 115
Jeffrey A. Gardner, Patricia Richards
Chapter 17: White Supremacist Movements Worldwide 122
Heidi Beirich
PART V: GENDER, SEXUALITIES, AND BODIES 129
Chapter 18: Pro-life and Pro-choice Movements 131
Deana A. Rohlinger
Chapter 19: #MeToo as a Form of Feminist Activism 137
Jo Reger
Chapter 20: Male Supremacist Men's Movements 143
Emily K. Carian
Chapter 21: LGBTQ Movements in the United States 149
Amy Stone
Chapter 22: The Disability Rights Movement in the United States 155
David Pettinicchio
PART VI: CULTURAL AND POLITICAL POLARIZATION 163
Chapter 23: Guns in Politics 165
Jennifer Carlson
Chapter 24: Cultural Conflict in Higher Education 171
Amy J. Binder
Chapter 25: Student Movement for Gaza on US Campuses 177
Anna Johnson, Atalia Omer
Chapter 26: The Anti-vaccination Movement and Science Denialism 184
Kevin A. Estep, David A. Snow
Chapter 27: From Fringe to Frontlines: The Evolution of the AI Safety Movement 191
John Bliss
Chapter 28: Progressive Religious Movements 196
Rhys H. Williams, Todd Nicholas Fuist
PART VII: EXTREMISM 203
Chapter 29: Alt-right and Patriot Militia Extremism 205
Robert Futrell, Pete Simi
Chapter 30: Antisemitic and Hate Movements 211
James Hawdon, Matthew Costello
Chapter 31: White Christian Nationalism 218
Philip Gorski, Samuel L. Perry
Chapter 32: Hindu Nationalism: Movement, Network, and Para-state 225
Thomas Blom Hansen
Chapter 33: Islamist Extremist Movements: Al-Qaeda and ISIS 231
Anne Likuski
Index 237
