Sociology 924: Social Movements Seminar Calendar Pamela Oliver

(older assignment)

Kenneth Andrews, Freedom is a Constant Struggle.

Please read as much of the book as you can. If possible, skim the whole book and then pick 2-3 chapters to examine more closely. The big picture is the story of ongoing struggle, the impact of the past on what happens next, and the local variations in how a movement struggle plays out. Read the methodological appendix so you are aware of research design issues. Read the theory chapter (2) for a good discussion of outcomes and consequences. Chapters 3 and 4 give you the historical background about Mississippi and the three counties. Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 combine quantitative analyses across all counties with focuses on the case study counties to address specific issues; each draws a somewhat different point. Make sure to read at least one of these chapters so you can examine the argumentation and use of data.

My notes:
About Mississippi after 1965. Focus on three counties.

Chapter 1. Introduction. Short. Lays out the plan of the book.

Chapter 2. Theory. "Explaining the Consequences of Social Movements."
1. Argues against a success/failure dichotomy and instead for a study of outcomes & consequences. A good review of the literature on this theme.
2. Explanatory factor is movement infrastructure which allows them multiple mechanisms of influence: disruption, persuasion, negotiation. Claim is that having multiple mechanisms improves impact.
3. Also have to examine countermobilization and repression. A good review of this.

Chapter 3. "Contours of Struggle" Overview of Mississippi CRM through early 1980s.

Chapter 4. "The Formation of Local Movement Trajectories in Mississippi."
1. Overview of variation among Mississippi counties.
2. Holmes County: highly successful mobilization
3. Madison County: extremely high mobilization and extremely high counter-mobilization and repression & violence
4. Bolivar County: more limited success in organizing struggling against structure of plantation economy
5. Comparison of Holmes, Madison and Bolivar counties (2 paragraphs)

Chapter 5. "The Struggle for Political Power."
1. Overview of Voting Rights Act and struggles for electoral power.
2. Development of Electoral Capacity in Holmes County
3. Comparison across counties: relation between movement mobilization and electoral participation

Chapter 6. "The Politics of Poverty" Role of local movements in War on Poverty. Documents close ties between movement and poverty program, and conflicts over this. Comparison of Holmes and Bolivar counties. The story is that although there were attempts to keep the movement out of the poverty programs, the movement was involved and, for this reason, there was very high participation in poverty programs that was sustained over the long haul.

Chapter 7. "Federal Authority, School Desegregation and Countermobilization" The general story is that desegregation was implemented in ways that sustained ongoing inequality. History of desegregation struggles, including Holmes county case requiring rapid desegregation. Documentation of resistance to desegregation. White academies as a form of resistance. Argues that organizational capacities of movement and countermovement explained much of the patterns.

Chapter 8. "The Acquisition of Political Power" Battles over legislative apportionment. Examines effect of mobilization on election of Blacks to office. Multivariate regression: prior mobilization has an impact beyond that of % Black and Black candidates. Also Black employment in government jobs.

Chapter 9. "Conclusion: Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement". Summary of the cases and outcomes. Stress on dynamics of tactical interaction and repression. Movement infrastructure as an enduring consequence. Revisit his model (short).

Appendix. Methodological details on study design and data sources. Should be read.

Articles with data overlap to this book. I have not yet read the book closely enough to know how much the book chapters differ from the prior published articles.

Movement-Countermovement Dynamics and the Emergence of New Institutions: The Case of "White Flight" Schools in Mississippi. Andrews, Kenneth T. Social Forces, 2002, 80, 3, Mar, 911-936 (related to chapter 7)

Creating Social Change: Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement. Andrews, Kenneth T
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: IDENTITY, CULTURE, AND THE STATE, Meyer, David S., Whittier, Nancy, & Robnett, Belinda [Eds], New York: Oxford U Press, 2002, pp 105-117 (overview of the theoretical argument)

Social Movements and Policy Implementation: The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and the War on Poverty, 1965 to 1971. Andrews, Kenneth T American Sociological Review, 2001, 66, 1, Feb, 71-95 (related to chapter 6)

The Impacts of Social Movements on the Political Process: The Civil Rights Movement and Black Electoral Politics in Mississippi Andrews, Kenneth T View Scholar Profile American Sociological Review, 1997, 62, 5, Oct, 800-819. Appears to be the multi-county analysis in chapter 8 and possibly part of 5

Sociology 924: Social Movements Calendar Pamela Oliver

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