CHAPTER 13 – Government, Political Power, and Social MovementsBASIS CONCEPTSDarian DolanskySOC 200EXAM 2 Notes (Chapters 8,10,11 + 9,16,13)CHAPTER 13 – GOVERNMENT, POLITICAL POWER, AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTSBASIS CONCEPTSDemocracy = people rule  freedom- Participatory democracy (direct democracy) Decisions are made communally by those affected by them  collectivelymake major decisions  vote directly on policies and laws- Liberal democracies Voters can choose between two or more political parties and in which themass of the adult population has the right to vote  parliamentary institutions & free-market system- Monarchies and Liberal Democracies- Constitutional monarchs  monarchs in name only, severely restricted powerThe Concept of the Statenation-state = “the people rule”o comprised of a nation (common identity) and state (political apparatus or gov’t)- Characteristics of the stateo Notion of national sovereignty (undisputed political rule of a state over an area)o Nationalism1. Set of symbols and beliefs providing sense of membership in a single political community2. local nationalism  community based shared identity should have autonomy (i.e., French-speaking population in Quebec, Canada)o Power and Authority1. Power = ability to make own interests or concerns count, even against resistance2. Authority = legitimate use of powero Citizenship Rights1. Citizens = members of political community having both rights and duties associated w membership2. Civil rights = rights established by law3. Political rights = right to participate in elections and run for public office4. social rights = right to enjoy minimum standard of economic welfare and security  achieve through welfare state (provide material benefits for citizens)5. social movements  attempts to further a common interest or secure common goal through action outside of established institutionsWho Rules? Theories of Democracy- Democratic Elitism (Weber + Schumpeter)o Theory of the limits of democracy that holds that in large-scale societies democratic participation is necessarily limited to the regular election of political leaderso Large groups of people cannot make the political decisions individually  use experts- Pluralist Theorieso Citizens can have little or no direct influence on political decision making, but argue interest groups can limit centralization of power in hands of officials  important for the division of power- The Power Eliteo Small networks of individuals who hold concentrated power in modern societiesWhy do Social Movements Occur?- when groups objectives or ideals cannot be achieved within the framework, other forms of political action may be required for political and social change- Economic Deprivationo Class conflict that lead to revolutionary changeo Contradictions – irresolvable tensionso Capitalism—continually cut costs in order to remain competitiveo Marx believed when a dominant class was particularly entrenched violence = necessary to achieve required transitiono Social protest is more likely when living conditions improve  expectations go up i.e. if improvement in conditions slows down, expectations are frustratedo Relative deprivation leads to protest  discrepancy between people’s actual lives and what they think could realistically be achieved- Resource Mobilizationo Processes of revolution change in context of forms of protest and violence1. Collective action = action undertaken in a relatively spontaneous way by a large number of people assembled together1. Organization of group(s) involved2. Mobilization way group acquires resources to make action possible3. Common interests 4. Opportunityo Revolutionary movements occur in situations of multiple sovereignty  government lacks full control over areas it is suppose to admin- Structural Straino Six conditions underlying origins of collective action + social movements1. Structural conduciveness, promotion of inhibition of the formation of social movements2. Structural strain (tensions) that produce conflicting interests w/n society3. Generalized beliefs  definite ideologies4. Precipitating factors events that trigger direct action by those involved5. Effective leadership / regular communication6. Operation of social control- Fields of Actiono Field of action comprises connections between a social movement and the forces or influences against it- Civil society  sphere b/t state & marketplace occupied by noneconomic institutionsSOCIAL MOVEMENTS ACTIVITYwhat social movement this person was involved in, what got that person involved in the first place, and what they contributed to that movement and our society.Gloria Steinem-feminist, social / political activist-notable for feminist movement 60s & 70s-journalist career, studied / researched in India during college supporting Equal Rights Amendment-first reported undercover as a Bunny at the Playboy Club revealed that waitresses were overworked and underpaid  after this found it hard to be assigned serious stories bc of her sex-becoming a founding editor @ New York magazine-co-founded Women’s Media Center & # of orgs on human rights-women’s magazine insert Ms. Magazine-became involved in women’s rallies, protests, sit-inshttps://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/gloria-steinem/Fannie Lou Hamer-leader in the struggle for civil rights, social equality, economic improvement for African-American community-born into poverty, b/c of oppressive social circumstances didn’t know she had a right to vote until 45 y/o-one of 18 men & women that marched into courthouse and were refused right to vote after unreasonable literacy test  each fined $100 for “crime” of driving a bus of the “wrong color”-shot @ 17 times upon being discovered in hiding-pioneered numerous political and humanitarian effortshttps://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/fannie-lou-hamer/Brenda Howard-bisexual rights activist, sex-positive feminist, polyamorist, BDSM practicioner-critical of domination by men -active member of gay liberation front-known of “mother of pride” for work in coordination a rally and then Christopher Street Liberation Day March to commemorate first anniversary of Stonewall riots-originated idea of week-long series of events around Pride