Theories of Political Protest and Social Movements: A Multidisciplinary Introduction, Critique, and Synthesis

How can political protest and social movements be explained? The book provides an introduction to each of the existing theories by restating and clarifying them. This is the basis for a detailed assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, a single theoretical paradigm is proposed that shows how the theories can be integrated.

Part 1: What Kind of Theory Do We Need and What Is a Good Theory? Part 2: Protest, Social Movements and Collective Action: Conceptual Clarifications and the Subject of the Book Part 3: Group Size, Selective Incentives, and Collective Action Part 4: Protest and Social Movements as Collective Action Part 5: The Resource Mobilization Perspective Part 6: Political Opportunity Structures, Protest and Social Movements Part 7: Collective Identity and Social Movement Activity Part 8: How Framing Influences Mobilization and Protest Part 9: Identity, Framing and Cognitive Balance: Toward a New Theory of Identity and Framing Part 10: The Dynamics of Contention Approach - Retreat to History? Part 11: The Structural-Cognitive Model: A Synthesis of Collective Action, Resource Mobilization, Political Opportunity, Identity, and Framing Perspectives Part 12: General Discussion, Conclusion, and an Agenda for Future Research