Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality# 7 Collective Behavior and Social MovementsWhat are social movements?Coalitions of groups that organize to achieve or prevent some sort of social or political changeAccording to resource mobilization theory, how do social movements arise and how are they sustained?Resource mobilization theorists: groups of dedicated folks need to acquire and use resources to create a movementFraming theorists: groups create and distribute effective “collective action frames”Collective action: refers to behavior that people engage in as a group and formulate as a response to problematic conditions, often in opposition to existing societal normsBeliefs and meanings that inspire and legitimize movement activities and campaigns – define problem and solutionsTwo types: collective behavior and social movementsCollective behavior: relatively spontaneous activity that a group or crowd engages in, often in contrast with social norms, as they try to work out a joint response to an ambiguous situationSocial movements: more highly organized and last for a much longer period of time*both socially constructed in ways that express grievances and discontentPolitical opportunity theorists: there must be opportunities to participateWhy do people participate in social movements?They get involved through:Shared social networks – friends and acquaintancesBloc recruitment – recruit groups within networkFrame alignment – the frame will be aligned with attitudes of potential recruitsFame resonance- a deep connection between a movements frame and expected potential recruitsList and explain the four main ways social movement organizations can differ?Structure: hierarchal or non hierarchalTactics: letter writing, civil disobedience, marches, property destructionGoals: change policy, consciousness raising, shut downFramesWhat is…..Collective action frameEmergent action-oriented sets of beliefs and meanings that inspire and legitimize movement activities and campaignsDeveloped and designed to help prospective movement members “understand what happens around them, identify sources of their problems and devise methods for addressing their grievances”Frame AlignmentFinding ways to link to the ideology with the attitudes of potential recruits, the public, members of the established order, or other movement groupsOccurs as individuals construct frameworks of meaning that draw on the ideas and beliefs of the movement so that collective action makes sense on a personal levelInjustice frameworkBelief that unimpeded operation of the authority system will result in or continue an injustice“if Obama does not get out of office, we still will not have jobs”Frame bridginglinkage of two or more ideologically congruent but structurally unconnected frames regarding a particular issue or problemwe move from a frame where we share common grievances with others, but do not express them, to a frame where we see personal involvement in collective action as the answerFrame resonanceA deep connection between the movement’s frame of meaning and the experience, emotions, and cognitions of its members and/or potential recruitsWhat is….Collective behaviorSpontaneous forms of collective action; new norms emerge which allow for social behavior that would otherwise not be acceptedPanic, riot, or a rumorEmergent norm theoryPerspective that see a crowd as a diverse and heterogeneous group of people who in the face of ambiguous stimuli or circumstances develop a group norm that establishes a framework for action and provides a sense of uniformityRiotA form of collective behavior in which a large number of people assemble for the purpose of protesting a grievance and from which a violent disturbance may emergeFour phases of a riot1.2.3.4.What are rumors? What are three processes of rumor transition?Rumors: information not substantiated or refuted; a truth claimCan promote mass violence or hysteria1.2.3.From lecture on WTO and film This is What Democracy Looks LikeWhat is the WTO?The only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nationsAt its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliamentsThe goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their businessReasons why people were angry with the WTOUndermines democracy (unelected individuals were representatives in the meetings, which were not publishing who votes what and what they were even voting for)Hurts the third world (people who were dying and needed medication could not have it, can not afford it, won’t lower price because they want to made a profit off trade)What were the main organizations involved in the demonstration and how did their goals, structure, and tactics differ?Direct action network: non-hierarchical; civil disobedience; shut down the meetingAFL-CIO: hierarchal; letter writing and march; influence trade policy and electionsSeattle Police: hierarchal; violence/arrests; prevent DAN protests, allow labor parade (prepared for worse)Participants in Black Bloc: non hierarchal; support civil disobedience prepared for property destruction; radicalize the protestWhat is a three-layered intersection blockade?How DAN blocked the streetsLayers:1. Center“lock down” protestors who linked arms2. Immediately around them are protectorsfed and cleaned those in the center if they were attacked with pepper spray3. in background is the “flying squads” that moved in massesmost contact with police, chemicals and weapons  would be asked to leave one area, leave and another group would circle around and fly back inHow did the police respond to the blockade?Chemical weapons and violenceAggressively push street activists into march, AFL-CIO would turn march around before getting close to the convention centerPolice changed their behavior the second dayVisiting shopping malls and mass arrestsHow did the activists interviewed or giving speeches as well as the film itself construct an injustice frame?In what ways may have rumors (especially in the mainstream media) legitimate police violence in Seattle?How did WTO activists and their supporters practice jail solidarity?When they were arrested they used fake namesHad a vigil surrounding the public safety buildingInternational solidarity protestsThey were all released by Sunday and all of their charges were dropped** NOTES HE DISCUSSED IN CLASS, NOT