PowerPoint Presentation
prepared by
Terri Petkau, Mohawk College
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Politics and Social Movements
Robert J. Brym
INTRODUCTION
• Will examine:
Two type of politics
Sociological theories of democracy
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
Theoretical explanations for social
movements
History and future of social
movements*
18-3
TERMS DEFINED
• Power: Ability of an individual or group
to impose its will on others, even if
they resist
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• Authority: Power widely viewed as
legitimate
• Authorities: People who occupy
command posts of legitimized power
structures*
18-4
TERMS DEFINED
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• Social movements: Enduring
collective attempts to change part or
all of social order by means of
rioting, petitioning, striking,
demonstrating, and establishing
pressure groups, unions, and
political parties
• Political parties: Organizations that
seek to control state power*
18-5
TWO TYPES OF POLITICS
• Are two types of politics:
1. “Normal politics”: When authorities
are firmly in power
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2. “Politics beyond rules”: When
legitimate authority grows weak*
18-6
POWER FROM ABOVE:
NORMAL POLITICS
• The state: Set of institutions that formulate and
carry out a country’s laws, policies, and binding
resolutions
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• In normal politics, ultimate seat of power is the
state (state power widely recognized as
legitimate)
• State also is authorized to use force (coercive
power) if necessary
 But use of force by authorities is sign of state’s
weakness (should not need force to impose will)*
18-7
THE STATE
• In democratic countries like Canada, the
government is formed by elected
members of the political party that wins
most seats in a general election
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• Government initiates policies, proposes
laws, and enforces both
• The government is referred to as the
executive branch*
18-8
CIVIL SOCIETY
• Individuals in civil society (private sphere
of life) also exercise control over the state
through variety of organizations and
institutions, including:
 Social movements
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 Mass media
 Pressure groups or “lobbies”
 Political parties*
18-9
THE INSTITUTIONS OF
STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
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18-10
POWER FROM ABOVE:
NORMAL POLITICS
•
Are five sociological theories of
democracy:
1. Pluralist theory
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
2. Elite theory
3. Marxist theory
4. Power-balance theory
5. State-centred theory*
18-11
PLURALIST AND ELITE
THEORIES
1. Pluralist theory: Argues normal democratic
politics is characterized by compromise
and accommodation of all group interests
 Compromise and accommodation
guarantees democracy
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
2. Elite theory: Argues that despite
compromise and accommodation, power
is concentrated in higher-status groups,
whose interests the political system serves
best
 Elites are interconnected but do not form a
ruling class*
18-12
ELITIST CRITIQUE OF
PLURALISM
• Research undermines pluralist theory insofar as it
demonstrates:
 Existence of large, persistent, wealth-based
inequalities in political influence and political
participation
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
 Disproportionately large number of political and other
elites come from upper- and upper-middle-class
families
 Political involvement decreases with social class
 As political involvement declines, so does political
influence*
18-13
3. MARXIST THEORY
i.



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ii.
Instrumentalist Marxists: Argue that elites form a
ruling class, one dominated by big business
The state is instrument of business elite who
gain control of state by:
Having members of wealthy families occupy
important state positions, and
Having the state rely on big business for advice
and financial support
Structuralist Marxists: Argue capitalist state acts
as arm of big business because it is embedded
in a capitalist system that forces it to act this
way*
18-14
POLITICAL APATHY AND CYNICISM
BY ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD
INCOME, CANADA
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18-15
VOTER TURNOUT, CANADIAN
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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18-16
4. POWER-BALANCE
THEORY
• Argues that despite concentration of power in
society, substantial shifts in distribution of power
often occur
 These shifts have discernible effects on voting
patterns and public policies
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• Suggests degree to which a country is
democratic depends on distribution of power
between upper and lower classes
 A country is more democratic when power is
widely distributed*
18-17
CONTRIBUTIONS TO FEDERAL
POLITICAL PARTIES BY
SOURCE
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18-18
RESULTS OF 2008 CANADIAN
FEDERAL ELECTION
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18-19
5. STATE-CENTRED
THEORY
• Argues that despite influence of distribution of
power on political life, state structures also exert
important and independent effect on politics
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• Focuses on how the state itself structures
political life independently of way power is
distributed among classes and other groups
 Example: United State’s citizen-initiated voter
registration law that effectively disenfranchises
many disadvantaged people*
18-20
FIVE SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY
COMPARED
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18-21
POWER FROM BELOW:
POLITICS BEYOND THE RULES
• Are three theories that seek to
explain emergence and/or growth of
social movements:
1. Relative deprivation theory
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
2. Resource mobilization theory
3. Frame alignment theory*
18-22
POWER FROM BELOW:
1. RELATIVE DEPRIVATION
THEORY
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• Argues social rebellion occurs when an intolerable
gap develops between social rewards people feel
they deserve and social rewards they expect to
receive
 Social rewards include money, education, security,
prestige, etc.
• Claims those who lead and join social movements
are likely to be “outsiders” who lack strong social
ties to community
• Large body of research has discredited both
claims*
18-23
2. RESOURCE-MOBILIZATION
THEORY
• Argues social movements emerge only when
disadvantaged people are able to marshal the
means necessary to challenge authority
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• Success or failure of social movements depends
largely on availability of resources
 Resources include jobs, money, arms, capacity to
create strong social ties among themselves, and
access to means of spreading their ideas
 Example: High level of unionization is conducive to
more strike activity because unions provide
workers with leadership, strike funds, and
coordination*
18-24
WEIGHTED FREQUENCY
OF STRIKES, CANADA,
1946-2006
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18-25
PERCENTAGE OF
NON-AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
UNIONIZED, CANADA,
1945-2005
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18-26
3. FRAME ALIGNMENT
THEORY
• Stresses face-to-face interaction strategies
employed by movement members to recruit
nonmembers who are like-minded, apathetic, or
even initially opposed to the movements’ goals
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• Frame alignment strategies include:
 Reaching out to other organizations thought to
contain members sympathetic to movement’s
cause
 Elevating importance of positive beliefs about the
movement
 Stressing likelihood of the movement’s success*
18-27
HISTORY AND FUTURE OF
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
THE RICH COUNTRIES
• Three centuries ago, social movements typically were
small, localized, and violent
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• Subsequent growth of the state led to changes in
social movements, including:
 Growing in size (partly due to increased literacy,
modes of communication, and new densely populated
social settings)
 Becoming less violent (size and organization often
allowed movements to become sufficiently powerful to
get their way without frequent resort to extreme
measures)*
18-28
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND
CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS
• Were four stages in efforts to expand rights of
citizens:
1. Civil citizenship: 18th century-struggle for right to
free speech, freedom of religion, and justice before
the law
2. Political citizenship: 19th/early 20th-century struggle
for right to vote and run for office
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3. Social citizenship: 20th century-struggle for right to a
minimum level of economic security and full
participation in social life
4. Universal citizenship: Last third of 20th-century
struggle to recognize right of marginal groups and
rights of humanity as a whole to full citizenship*
18-29
NEW SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS
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•
Broadening of struggle for citizenship rights was
signalled by emergence of “new social
movements” in 1960s and 1970s
•
Social movements considered “new” in terms of:
i.
Breadth of their goals
ii.
Kinds of people they attracted
iii. Potential for going global*
18-30
NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
i. GOALS
• Some new movements promote rights of humanity
as a whole to peace, security and clean
environment
 Examples: Environmental movement, peace
movement
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• Other new movements promote rights of particular
groups historically excluded from full social
participation
 Examples: Women’s movement, gay rights
movement*
18-31
NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
ii. MEMBERSHIP
• New social movements are novel in that they
attract disproportionately large number of well-todo people from social, educational, and cultural
fields
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 Members include teachers, professors, journalists,
social workers, artists, actors, writers, and student
apprentices to these positions
 Such people are predisposed to participate given
higher education, employment outside business
community, and routine exposure to struggles of
their clients and audiences (prompting them to
become advocates)*
18-32
NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
iii. GLOBALIZATION POTENTIAL
• New social movements possess more
potential for globalization than old social
movements
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• Globalization facilitated by inexpensive jet
transportation and innovations in
communications technology
• Often transcend local and national
boundaries to promote universalistic goals
(e.g., anti-nuclear and environmental
movements)*
18-33
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
• “Other 85%” of the world is weak economically,
politically, and militarily because of colonial rule
and delay in industrializing economy
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• Rather than seek to broaden democracy through
expansion of citizenship rights, social movements
(fueled by anti-Western sentiment) focus on
ensuring more elemental human rights, such as:
 Freedom from colonial rule
 Freedom to create conditions for independent
economic growth**
18-34