Social Change & Social Movements What Are We So Afraid Of? Structural Changes Cultural Changes Social Movements What Are They? Why Do People Mobilize? What Makes Movement Successful? What Is The Life Course Of Movements?

What Are We So Afraid Of? Structural (shifting patterns in population, behavior and interaction) Cultural (transformation of values and norms; introduction of new cultural objects) Social Change: Significant structural and cultural changes over time Social Change Creates New Alternatives & Options For Society Alters Patterns Of Social Interaction Gives Rise To New Problems That Must Be Addressed 60% 18-29yo 44% >65yo 56% >65yo 37% 18-29% What structural and cultural changes have occurred since 1970 when Dr. Pitt was born?

What Are Social Movements? Types Of Social Movements Alternative Movements: change some individuals’ behavior in specific ways Alternative Movements: change some individuals’ behavior in specific ways Religious Movements: produce radical change in individuals based on supernatural beliefs Religious Movements: produce radical change in individuals based on supernatural beliefs Reformative Movements: change everyone in specific ways Reformative Movements: change everyone in specific ways Resistance Movements: preserve status quo by blocking or undoing change Resistance Movements: preserve status quo by blocking or undoing change Revolutionary Movements: change everyone completely by changing existing institutions Revolutionary Movements: change everyone completely by changing existing institutions Making Life vs. Making History Social Movements : Organized ongoing collective efforts by relatively powerless people engaging in extrainstitutional action to promote or resist change.

Why Do People Mobilize? Relative Deprivation : The conscious feeling that there is a negative discrepancy between your expectations and your reality - Things aren’t as good as you expected them to be - Compared to some other referent group (egoistic or fraternalistic), you feel deprived Two Key Components Feeling that you have a right to your goals and that you deserve better Feeling that your goals can’t be met through conventional means New Social Movements Are Concerned About Values and Social Identities Rather Than Economic Well- Being

Making Movements Successful Framing : Interpretation and assignment of meaning to events and conditions in order to shape a message and a collective identity among members Resource Mobilization: The generation and utilization of assets— money, political influence, access to media, tactics and strategies, and personnel— necessary to build and maintain the movement Political Opportunity: Factors—dramatic events, media behaviors, institutional ambiguity, counter-movements— that influence a movement’s emergence and room for success

Social Movement Life Course I NCIPIENCY C OALESCENCE B UREAUCRATIZATION SuccessRepressionCo-Optation Loss Of Interest Fragmentation Re-Emergence? Incipiency More than one person gets upset about some social condition Coalescence Discontent becomes focused and groups begin to mobilize some resources Bureaucratization Strategies carried out by structured organizations with trained/paid staff

Social Movement Life Course I NCIPIENCY C OALESCENCE B UREAUCRATIZATION SuccessRepressionCo-Optation Loss Of Interest Fragmentation Re-Emergence? Success The movement wins and the discontent is resolved Repression Authorities use measures to destroy or control it Co-Optation Leaders become cozier with targets of movement than constituents of it Loss Of Interest Members just stop caring about the issue or group’s focus evolves too far Fragmentation Participants disagree about goals or strategies