Ideology and the New Social Movements by Allan Scott

Ideology and the New Social Movements by Allan Scott

"Ideology and the New Social Movements" provides an assessment of current debates concerning the nature and motivation of social movements and collective action. In particular, Alan Scott focuses on the competing theoretical explanations of the rise and character of the "new social movements" in North America and Europe. After introducing the major themes in the debate about new social movements, the book reviews mainstream theories, both functionalist and neo-Marxist, then moves on to a discussion of recent sociological, economic and political writings. Specific examples, most notably the rise of the West German Greens, are used to assess the value of the different approaches. Alan Scott argues that theories of long-term change, such as the transition to the "post industrial" society, give insufficient attention to the political and organizational aspects of social movements, and exaggerate the differences between older, class-based movements and the "new" politics. While models inspired by economic analysis do address problems of organization and the barriers to collective action, they do so from the standpoint of a narrowly instrumental view of rationality. The author concludes by arguing that the idea of social closure, which can accommodate questions of allegiance and identity and control of resources, has considerable explanatory power, and can encompass the cultural and political aspects of social movements. Such an approach rejects dramatic theories of discontinuity between "old" and "new" social movements.

Alan Scott is a writer and designer residing in Virginia. A former Agnostic, he converted to the Catholic faith in 2004. In 2014 he started his blog GrowInVirtue.com, which focuses on growing in holiness, by attempting to live a life more simple and virtuous, a life that is lived for God. When he's not writing or designing, you'll find him, hands dirty, in his garden.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780043012765
ISBN 10	0043012760
Title	Ideology and the New Social Movements
Author	Allan Scott
Series	Controversies In Sociology S
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis Ltd
Year published	1990-04-12
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.