The trend of social movements in America: professionalization and resource mobilization
Abstract
American sociologists have been intrigued with the phenomena of social movements. They have studied and analyzed movements ranging from those on the left-wing aimed at overturning the social order to those on the right-wing aimed at restoring an earlier order. But they have not neglected moderate movements with ameliorative goals or movements with no apparent political goals or implications (e.g., movements related to individual deviance such as alcoholism or to a belief in the end of the world). To understand the rise and fall of all of these movements--and their related movement organizations, which normally are the unit of analysis--sociologists have focused upon members. Leites and Wolf [1970] call this a "hearts and minds of the people" approach, which assigns primary importance to the state of consciousness of members and potential members. The development of group consciousness, the relation of a group's life situation to the formation of ideology and to social action have been primary concerns of this study and analysis.
We stress a different approach. Our "resource mobilization" approach emphasizes the resources, beyond membership consciousness and manpower, that may become available to potential movements. These resources support the growth and vitality of movements and movement organizations. This view does not necessarily deny the existence of grievances. It stresses the structural conditions that facilitate the expression of grievances.
Abstract
American sociologists have been intrigued with the phenomena of social movements. They have studied and analyzed movements ranging from those on the left-wing aimed at overturning the social order to those on the right-wing aimed at restoring an earlier order. But they have not neglected moderate movements with ameliorative goals or movements with no apparent political goals or implications (e.g., movements related to individual deviance such as alcoholism or to a belief in the end of the world). To understand the rise and fall of all of these movements--and their related movement organizations, which normally are the unit of analysis--sociologists have focused upon members. Leites and Wolf [1970] call this a "hearts and minds of the people" approach, which assigns primary importance to the state of consciousness of members and potential members. The development of group consciousness, the relation of a group's life situation to the formation of ideology and to social action have been primary concerns of this study and analysis.
We stress a different approach. Our "resource mobilization" approach emphasizes the resources, beyond membership consciousness and manpower, that may become available to potential movements. These resources support the growth and vitality of movements and movement organizations. This view does not necessarily deny the existence of grievances. It stresses the structural conditions that facilitate the expression of grievances.
