Concludes this overview of the theories & methods of social movement research & discusses the "art" of such research in terms of qualities such as (1) the use of multiple methods, (2) an emphasis on middle-range theory, (3) the incorporation of new ideas from real-world social movements & from other cognate research areas, (4) a growing reliance on comparative methods, & (5) an avoidance of "epistemological wars" & willingness to grow through debates between different perspectives. Specific areas of theoretical progress are outlined & illustrated in three key research areas: (A) organizational characteristics & impacts, (B) movement recruitment & participation, & (C) careers, cycles, & trajectories of contention. Some future challenges facing social movement research & ways to extend its utility are also identified. 153 References. K. Hyatt Stewart
"Studies of the rote of the media in conflict situations have brought to the fore the significance of representations as an important part of the process of knowledge production about wars and the actors involved. The media can influence interpretations and framing of conflicts, moulding specific understandings of their causes and modalities of intervention. The Libyan war in 2011 is an interesting case to reflect on the United Nations (UN) principle of Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), and how conflict affects those populations who occupy a subordinate Position in multiple stratification systems (gender, race, and class), whether they are locked in conflict zones or are trying to join the flow of people fleeing across borders. In the context of humanitarian intervention, specific understandings of the migrants as social subjects become strongly correlated with corresponding support mechanisms. This chapter conducts an intersectional analysis to provide a perspective on the politics of the media representation of 'migrants' in Libya, discerning the key links between the constructions of their masculinities and the practices of protection for 'people on the move'. We show how, being situated at the bottom of the social hierarchy in Libya, sub-Saharan black Africans were inappropriately presented in media coverage during the initial phase of the conflict as subjects of adequate protection. Their invisibilization and subordination by the media have been largely framed within international political and economic interests, which have also reinforced the idea of the international community as the legitimate protector of civilians. We argue that these representations reproduce migrants' vulnerability and, by placing them in a situation of triple jeopardy (structural, political, and representational), undermine the possibility of conceiving and understanding security beyond their 'naturalized' victimization and subordination." (author's abstract)
