Transcript PowerPoint Presentation prepared by Terri Petkau, Mohawk College CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Politics and Social Movements Robert J.

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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
 Mass media
 Pressure groups or “lobbies”
 Political parties*
18-9
THE INSTITUTIONS OF
STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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.



Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
18-15
VOTER TURNOUT, CANADIAN
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
18-18
RESULTS OF 2008 CANADIAN
FEDERAL ELECTION
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
18-25
PERCENTAGE OF
NON-AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
UNIONIZED, CANADA,
1945-2005
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
•
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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd
• 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