Collective Action, Social Movements,

and Social Change

Chapter 4
World is small…. You see always
people again … that’s why always
show respect
 Introduction to Social Movements

• What do Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA), the anti-globalization movement, and the Tea Party have in
common? Not much, you might think. But although they may be left-wing or right-
wing, radical or conservative, highly organized or very diffused, they are all
examples of social movements.
• Social movements are purposeful, organized groups striving to work toward a
common goal. These groups might be attempting to create change (Occupy Wall
Street, Arab Spring), to resist change (anti-globalization movement), or to provide a
political voice to those otherwise disenfranchised (civil rights movements). Social
movements create social change.
 Collective Action

• Collective action is a collaborative effort that takes place in

groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation.
• One of the best things about sociology is that inherently it
gives us the insights to work towards collective action since
we are more aware of the issues of society we live in.
 Collective Action:
What Is It Good For?

• Crowd collective action takes place when members of a group are face to face.
• Mass collective action is collective action in which close physical proximity is not
necessary, such as a letter-writing campaign.
• Crowd collective action is less deliberate and structured than mass collective
action, while Mass collective action by definition involves more members than
crowd collective action.
 Theories of Collective Action
• Convergence theory, a first theory of collective action, suggest collective action
happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place. This
theory doesn’t necessarily require planning. The setting isn’t particularly important,
except that it attracts like-minded people.
• One example of convergent collective action is the riots that sometimes follow an
English soccer match. Who goes to football matches? Mostly zealous fans who are
antagonistic toward their opponents (and who may have consumed a couple of pints of
beer before and during the match). They probably don’t plan to riot at the end of the
game, but the convergence of like-minded (and drunk) people causes this collective
action.
• This theory does not explain the inconsistency of group action.
Why collective action sometimes happens under such
circumstances and other time does not.
• For example, If collective action results from drunken English
foot- ball fans coming together, then why isn’t there a riot
every time they come together? Sometimes they go home
peacefully. Sometimes a fight or two breaks out. Other times
enough people get angry that a rancorous riot erupts.
 Contagion Theory
• Contagion Theory: is one of the theories that presented this new understanding of collective
behavior. According to this theory, crowds do not unduly influence individuals to act in emotional and
even violent ways. Rather, crowd behavior reflects the behavior and attitudes of the individuals who
decide to join a crowd. Once they converge in a crowd, the behavior of the crowd is a consequence of
their behavior and attitude. Instead of the crowd affecting the individuals in it, the individuals in it
affect the crowd. Reflecting the adage that “birds of a feather flock together,” people who feel a
certain way about a particular issue and who wish to act in a certain way tend to find and converge
with similar people. The crowd they form then reflects their beliefs and desired activities.
• For example, if you’re in the stands at an American football game and the fans start the “wave,” when
the wave comes around to your section of the stadium, you might feel as if you have little choice but
to stand and wave your arms like everyone else. You might never have thought that you’d stand and
wave your arms, but the actions of other people influenced your behavior.
• Although contagion theory helps explain how collective action spreads from one person throughout
the entire group, it downplays individual agency and treats individuals as mindless sheep,
thoughtlessly following the actions of their neighbors.
 Emergent Norm Theory

• Emergent Norm Theory :The third theory of collective action, emphasizes the influence of
“keynoters” in promoting new behavioral norms, especially in unusual situations for which already
established norms are inadequate.
• Emergent norm theory takes a middle ground between contagion theory and convergence theory. As
should be clear, emergent norm theory views collective behavior as more rational than contagion
theory does. But it also views collective behavior as less predictable than convergence theory does, as
it assumes that people do not necessarily already share beliefs and intentions before they join a crowd.
• Emergent norm theory says that new norms for behavior will emerge, but it doesn’t suggest why
particular people set the terms for this new behavior. The theory also doesn’t explain why some
actions emerge as norms within the group, whereas other actions don’t. In the battalion of
soldiers example, why did running away become the emergent norm? Why didn’t the soldiers stay and
fight, rather than turn away from their enemies? And why didn’t the battalion take its cues from the
other members in the front of the squad who continued marching forward?
 Value-Added Theory
• Value-added theory is a complex analytic framework that seeks to reveal the forces that drive
collective actions in social systems.
• Value-added theory argues that collective behavior results when several conditions exist,
including structural strain, generalized beliefs, precipitating factors, and lack of social control.
All these conditions must exist for collective behavior to occur.
• The theory identifies the social conditions (referred to as determinants of collective action)
within societies that contribute to the occurrence and outcomes of such actions. The latter are
broadly defined and encompass collective behaviors such as social movements, militias,
religious cults, riots, and the like. The main premise of value-added theory is that each
determinant must be present for a collective action to occur and through a value-added process
each determinant increases the likelihood of a collective action occurring and being effective.
The name “value-added” originated from the theory’s attempt to explain how a collective
effort iteratively gains value at each stage of progression up to its issuance as collective action.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Contagion theory assumes that individuals act irrationally as they come under the
hypnotic influence of a crowd. Collective behavior scholars now believe that
collective behavior is much more rational than contagion theory assumed.
• Convergence theory assumes that crowd behavior reflects the preexisting values and
beliefs and behavioral disposition of the individuals who join a crowd.
• Emergent norm theory assumes that norms emerge after people gather for collective
behavior, and that their behavior afterward is largely rational.
• Value-added theory argues that collective behavior results when several conditions
exist, including structural strain, generalized beliefs, precipitating factors, and lack of
social control. All these conditions must exist for collective behavior to occur.
 Identity
• In order to explain who we are as individuals, we tend to talk about
different groups we are in. What makes each of us unique is the particular
combination of groups with which we identify.
• Sharing a group affiliation with another person helps us develop
emotional attachments to that person.
 Types of Identity
• A static identity is an aspect of your identity (such as race) that
doesn’t change and that determines at least one group to which
you belong.
• A dynamic identity is an aspect of your identity that is more
fluid (such as working as a lifeguard for one summer) and that
is determined by a group to which you belong.
 True or False
• Contagion theory focus on the consequences of collective action and thoughtlessly
following the actions of others.
• Value-Added Theory based on Exceptions that certain conditions are necessary for
the development of a social movement.
• A static identity is one that does not undergo change and remaining the same at the
end.
• Crowd collective action requires physical proximity.