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In recent years there has been an outpouring of work at the intersection of social movement studies and organizational theory. While we are generally in sympathy with this work, we think it implies a far more radical rethinking of structure and agency in modern society than has been realized to date. In this article, we offer a brief sketch of a general theory of strategic action fields (SAFs). We begin with a discussion of the main elements of the theory, describe the broader environment in which any SAF is embedded, consider the dynamics of stability and change in SAFs, and end with a respectful critique of other contemporary perspectives on social structure and agency.

Ten years from the publication of Dynamics of Contention, written with Charles Tilly, the editors of Mobilization have asked us to identify work that reflects on the perspectives presented in that book. Dynamics of Contention attempted too many things: accounts of contention in Western and non-Western societies; consideration of a variety of forms of contention; a critique of the too-narrow focus on western reformist movements in social movement research; a call for a mechanism-and-process approach. For this symposium, we asked our colleagues to focus primarily on that final goal because we see it as the one making the most progress in this area since the publication of DOC. We dedicate this symposium to the memory and the example of Charles Tilly.

Ten years from the publication of Dynamics of Contention, written with Charles Tilly, the editors of Mobilization have asked us to identify work that reflects on the perspectives presented in that book Dynamics of Contention attempted too many things: accounts of contention in Western and non-Western societies; consideration of a variety of forms of contention; a critique of the too-narrow focus on western reformist movements in social movement research; a call for a mechanism-and-process approach. For this symposium, we asked our colleagues to focus primarily on that final goal because we see it as the one making the most progress in this area since the publication of DOC. We dedicate this symposium to the memory and the example of Charles Tilly. Adapted from the source document.

Why do two cognate literatures—social movements and electoral studies—travel along parallel paths with little conversation between them? And what can be done to connect them in the future? Drawing on their work with the late Charles Tilly onDynamics of Contention(2001), Doug McAdam and Sidney Tarrow examine two important studies that approach (but do not effect such a linkage), propose a mechanism-based set of linkages between elections and social movements, and apply their approach in a preliminary examination of the relations between the American anti-war movement after 9/11 and the Democratic Party.

Contending that nation-states are still the dominant actors & loci for politics, including contentious politics, the question is addressed of how contention grows beyond its localized beginnings to become a force for transnational change. This chapter focuses on a single process -- scale shift -- composed of mechanisms seen as central to the spread of contention, not only within nation-states but internationally. Two forms of this process -- direct & indirect -- are conceptualized, & within the former through two routes -- "brokerage" & "diffusion." It is shown that localized action is shifting in both cases, through additional mechanisms of emulation & attribution of similarity, to produce what appears to be coordinated transnational action. These dynamics are used to examine three important protest campaigns -- the civil rights & nuclear freeze movements in the US & the international solidarity movement with the Zapatista insurgency in Mexico -- to illustrate the two routes named above & the differences they make in outcomes. Speculations about the value added to the study of transnational contention by this approach are offered in conclusion. Figures. J. Stanton

Examines how individual/collective identities are linked processually through social movement participation, highlighting the problem of identity correspondence across personal/movement contexts. Dispositional & structural perspectives on the identity/movement nexus are compared, & the value of a constructionist approach is discussed. Processes through which personal & collective identities are aligned in social movements are outlined, focusing on "identity work," "identity convergence," & "identity construction"; this last is further divided into processes of identity amplification, consolidation, extension, & transformation. The relationship between identity processes & other mediating mechanisms is explored, & the trajectory of identity work over the course of a movement from emergence through institutionalization & diffusion is delineated. The affinity between types of social movements & types of identity is also explored. 61 References. K. Hyatt Stewart