Social Movements: An Introduction [Paperback]

Donatella Della Porta (Author), Mario Diani (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405102829 | ISBN-13: 978-1405102827 | Publication Date: February 14, 2006 | Edition: 2

Social Movements is a comprehensive introduction and critical analysis of collective action in society today. In this new edition, the authors have updated all chapters with the most recent scientific literature, expanded on topics such as individual motivations, new media, public policies, and governance.

• Draws on research and empirical work across the social sciences to address the key questions in this international field.
  
• New edition expands on topics such as individual motivations, new media, public policies, and governance.
  
• Has been redesigned in a more user-friendly format.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly sophisticated and deeply insightful account of social movements."
Development and Change

“Della Porta and Diani have crafted an elegant and expansive volume that incisively focuses on all the field’s core issues. Using the global justice movement as the thread that pulls the new edition together is a welcome addition.” Hank Johnston, San Diego State University

“As in the first edition, the authors offer excellent framing of debates and issues in the field and thorough coverage of the literature. This is the most comprehensive text in the field and a must-read for serious students of social movements.” Verta Taylor, University of California, Santa Barbara

From the Back Cover

Social Movements is a comprehensive introduction and critical analysis of collective action in society today. In the latter part of the last century, social movements became a permanent feature of modern democracies. The students’ and workers’ protests of the 1960s have been followed by movements focusing on women’s rights, ethnic identities, peace and environmental issues. This book draws on research and empirical work across the social sciences to address the key questions in this international field.

In this new edition, the authors have updated all chapters with the most recent literature, and expanded on topics such as individual motivations, new media, public policies, and governance. The book has also been redesigned to a more user-friendly format. More than ever, Social Movements is the ideal introduction for students of social movements within social and political science.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405102829
• ISBN-13: 978-1405102827
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a starting point, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Social Movements: An Introduction (Hardcover)

This book is not only a comprehensive introduction to the study of social movements; rather, it presents the "state of art" in the field. The Authors examine several theoretical approaches in a critical way, pointing out their possibilities and limitations. The own object of study -social movements- is examined from various perspectives, from their 'reason de être' to their organizational form and political context. However, it is important to say that the reader will not find a theory or model declared to be "the winner" at any point of the book: the Authors seem to be more concerned with raising questions than answering them. A very interesting book.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Useful for European Studies, February 19, 2004

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Social Movements: An Introduction (Paperback)

Despite the title, this book cannot really be considered an introduction to the field of social movement research, because it is more specialized than that. Della Porta and Diani are leading sociologists in the European university system, so movements in Europe become the natural focus of this book. This is especially useful if you have interests in European developments, both with social movements and the study thereof, plus unique Euro-politics in the areas of leftism and anarchism. Such material is often fascinating, especially in regards to the fall of the Iron Curtain in recent decades. But beware that this focus cannot be generalized to social movements in other regions of the world because of differing political and social climates - regardless of the authors' occasional attempts to bring examples from America and other regions into the text for comparison.

Note that the authors focus primarily on the "political opportunity structure" arm of social movement research. Once again this leads to quite informative results, except that other realms of knowledge in this field, especially framing and mobilization structures, are under-represented. Also beware of the final chapter which presents an attempt to wrap up (European) social movements into the greater scheme of things. Personal opinions seep into that chapter's coverage of feminist and women's movements, while the authors' theories on the continuities between successful movements and the growth of democracy is a purely European perspective, and even then it only applies to a few specific circumstances like Poland and Romania. One final issue with this book is the writing style, which often succeeds in drying out fascinating material with very tedious academic prose. This may be an issue with translation. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction, June 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Social Movements: An Introduction (Paperback)

They touch on a lot of recent work on social movements, and are good with many new concepts. But the book is not well written enough for undergrads.