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Pick a social movement to discuss. You may refer to one of the social movements listed in our text or you may find a peer-reviewed journal article that adequately describes a social movement.
A) Briefly describe the social movement in your own words.
B) What type of movement is/was it (revolutionary/reform, instrumental/expressive)? Explain your answer.
C) Apply one microsocial or macrostructrual explanation of social movements to your chosen movement. How does this explanation account for the origins of this social movement?
D) Completely Optional: Using Smelser’s “types of responses by the authorities to social movements,” explain the outcomes of this social movement.

Sample Solution

Social Movement: The Black Lives Matter Movement

  1. A) Description:

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a decentralized social movement advocating for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against Black people. It originated in the United States in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

  1. B) Type of Movement:
  • Reform Movement: The BLM movement seeks reform within the existing social structure. Their goals include police accountability, criminal justice reform, and an end to racial profiling.
  • Expressive Movement: The BLM movement also has an expressive element. It provides a platform for Black communities to express their experiences of racial injustice and demand recognition of their humanity and right to safety.
  1. C) Resource Mobilization Theory:

The resource mobilization theory helps explain the emergence of the BLM movement. This theory suggests that social movements require resources to mobilize and sustain themselves.

  • Access to Technology: The BLM movement effectively utilized social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to spread awareness, organize protests, and mobilize supporters.
  • Shared Grievances: The movement emerged from a long history of police brutality against Black communities, providing a shared sense of grievance that fueled activism.
  • Organizational Infrastructure: Existing civil rights organizations and community groups provided a foundation for the movement to build upon.
  1. D) Smelser’s Types of Responses (Optional):
  • Accommodation: Law enforcement agencies have implemented some reforms like body cameras and implicit bias training in response to BLM pressure. However, these measures haven’t addressed systemic issues within police departments.
  • Suppression: In some instances, authorities have used crowd-control tactics and arrests to suppress BLM protests. This approach has sometimes backfired, generating more negative publicity and galvanizing the movement.

Note: Analyzing the long-term outcomes of the BLM movement is still ongoing. However, it has undoubtedly raised national and international awareness of racial injustice and police brutality.

 

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