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Key research themes
1. How do local networks shape the sustainability and political effectiveness of radical social movements?
This research area focuses on the role of local activist networks and their structure in influencing the endurance and capacity of radical social movements to sustain their message and integrate into broader political milieus. Understanding these local formations matters because the connection between global movements and their local instantiations determines the movements’ ability to mobilize resources, build alliances, and achieve social change. The comparative analysis of movements like Occupy in different cities elucidates how varying degrees of local embeddedness influence movement trajectories.
Key finding: The study found that Occupy Los Angeles’s integration into a rich local movement milieu and its networked connections with other activist clusters enabled greater sustainability and political resonance, whereas Occupy... Read more
Key finding: Through contemporary case studies, including the Indignados and Occupy movements, the work emphasizes that successful social movements depend heavily on connections between offline social ties and online diffusion, showing... Read more
Key finding: The paper argues that local social movements create new democratic spaces and assert participatory power that often challenges global neoliberal processes. It critiques dominant social movement theories focusing on large... Read more
2. What processes and conditions drive radicalization within social movements, and how do radical activists influence or challenge broader movement objectives?
This theme delves into the emergence of radical activists within social movements, their identity formation, and the dynamics between radical and moderate factions (the radical flank effect). It examines how radicals utilize high-risk or confrontational tactics, including violence, and how their presence impacts the overall movement’s strategies, public perception, and political leverage. Understanding radicalization processes is vital for unpacking internal movement heterogeneity and evaluating pathways for social change.
Key finding: The paper provides a sociological definition of radicals as activists embracing direct action with risk including violence, highlighting that radicalization is contingent on close-knit activist networks, collective... Read more
Key finding: Through a longitudinal case study of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign, this work reveals that radical flank effects are not static but contingent, varying over different societal arenas and time. Initial positive... Read more
Key finding: Using a radical political framework, the study on Polish tenants’ activists shows how marginalized groups articulate collective identities and demands that challenge neoliberal hegemonies. It demonstrates that even in... Read more
Key finding: Analyzing the Provisional Irish Republican movement, this case study links recruitment timing, geographic origins, and family political backgrounds to ideological heterogeneity and the occurrence of organizational splits. It... Read more
3. How can interdisciplinary methodological approaches enhance the empirical study and theoretical understanding of radical social movements?
This theme explores innovations and challenges in methodologies applied to the study of social movements, emphasizing the need for combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, ethnography, case studies, digital media analysis, and theoretical triangulation to capture the complexity of radical activism. The development of methodological frameworks is crucial for generating rigorously grounded knowledge and capturing evolving movement forms in the contemporary digital era.
Key finding: This article surveys various sociological methods such as observation, case study, grounded theory, and surveys applied to social movement research. It argues for methodological pluralism and triangulation to address the... Read more
Key finding: Focusing on the political science contribution, the work stresses the analytic value of political process and opportunity structures in understanding how institutional contexts shape movement strategies, identities, and... Read more
Key finding: This review highlights the intellectual compartmentalization and disciplinary divides in social movement studies and discusses paradigm shifts from resource mobilization to new social movement theories. It calls for... Read more