Social Movements and Social Change: An Applied Introduction

How do you make social movements matter in the classroom? This book moves beyond a purely theoretical approach, responding to the need to put students in the centre of the action. The 10 chapters follow the lifecycle of a social movement, and are enriched by bullet points, case studies, critical thinking questions, and interactive activities ready for use in seminars and workshops.

Readers will encounter:

• Foundational and cutting-edge social movement theories such as resource mobilization, repertoires of contention, and direct social action;

• Global case studies including Arab Spring, the South African anti-apartheid movement, and the Palestinian March of Return;

• Unique ‘movement-building’ and ′movement-exploring′ activities which prompt students to think like activists;

• A focus on traditionally overlooked areas of social movement studies, like burnout, gendered division of labour, and prefiguration.

This book is perfect for undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of disciplines including sociology, politics, organizational studies, and social psychology. The book is also a valuable resource for academics and activists interested in the subjects of social and political movements and protest. 

Eugene Nulman is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Florence (Università degli Studi di Firenze) where he is an activist-researcher in the areas of social movements, political sociology, and popular culture. He was previously Assistant Professor in Political Science at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence, Italy and Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK. He received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Kent and his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds an MA in Political Sociology from the University of Kent.