Customer Reviews

Radical Protest and Social Structure: Southern Farmer's Alliance and Cotton Tenancy, 1880-90 (Studies in social discontinuity)

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I agree with Michael from NY. Schwartz's sudy is a superb analysis of farm tennancy and the dynamics of protest in late 19th century South. Schwartz's methodology and thesis have been assailed by many historians of this era in southern history but no one can deny that his analysis is grounded in the primary sources and offers an insight into the tennancy system that few studies of this phenomenon can match.

After reading this, I could not help but scratch my head and ask myself why it is that this isn't more prominant in social movement theory / political sociology. The book provides an excellent framework for thinking about collective action and the logic of the emergence, and rise or decline of movements for radical change from below. This should be standard reading for undergrad/graduate students studying social movements and/or political processes.