Social movements play a central role in the scope and direction of social
change. They were instrumental in the creation of the modern state and, today,
are major forces in politics and culture. Environmentalism, gay rights,
alterglobalization, and Islamic fundamentalism are all movements with
far-reaching impacts on contemporary society.
What is a Social Movement? traces how the study of movements such as these - of
their structures, their ideas, and their repertoires of protest - have grown in
recent years to become a major focus in the social sciences. It deftly navigates
the organizational, ideational, and cultural complexity of political and social
movements, and offers a succinct