The Civil Rights Movement and the Logic of Social Change (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics) - Softcover

Luders, Joseph E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521133394 ISBN 13: 9780521133395

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Social movements have wrought dramatic changes upon American society. This observation necessarily raises the question: Why do some movements succeed in their endeavors while others fail? This book answers this question by introducing an analytical framework that begins with a shift in emphasis away from the characteristics of movements toward the targets of protests and affected bystanders, their interests, and why they respond as they do. Such a shift brings into focus how targets and other interests assess both their exposure to movement disruptions as well as the costs of conceding to movement demands. From this vantage point, diverse outcomes stem not only from a movement’s capabilities for protest but also from differences among targets and others in their vulnerability to disruption and the substance of movement goals. Applied to the civil rights movement, this approach recasts conventional accounts of the movement’s outcome in local struggles and national politics, and also clarifies the broader logic of social change.

About this title

About the Author

Joseph Luders is Gottesman Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yeshiva University. His research focuses on social movements, civil rights politics and policy, and American political development.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521133394
• ISBN 13: 9780521133395
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 262