Author Description
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY NC ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.Why does the mind matter for collective action? In Contentious Minds, Florence Passy and Gian-Andrea Monsch explain how cognitive and relational processes allow activists participate in and sustain their commitment to activism. Based on a wide array of survey and interview data with activists engaged in protest, volunteering and unions, they highlight how a commitment community develop shared values, identities, and meanings through interaction. The interplay of talk and ties enables stories and meanings to be constructed and exchanged, conveys worldviews and intentions that are modified through ongoing conversations, and reinforces and maintains commitment over time. Passy and Monsch's ambitious work brings the mind and culture back into the study of social movements and highlights the crucial role social networks play in constructing the communities and shared values that sustain commitment.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how cognitive processes and interpersonal relationships function together to sustain long-term commitment within activist communities. Florence Passy and Gian-Andrea Monsch utilize their expertise in sociology and social movement studies to examine the mechanisms of collective action. By analyzing how activists construct shared meanings through interaction, the authors argue that social networks and communicative practices are the primary drivers of sustained political and social engagement.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of cognitive and relational processes in social movements
- Examination of how shared values and identities are formed through interaction
- Theoretical framework linking individual cognition to collective action
- Empirical data derived from surveys and interviews with protesters, volunteers, and union members
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the internal dynamics of activist communities rather than the external political outcomes of their actions
- The research does not cover the initial recruitment phases of activism as extensively as the maintenance of long-term commitment
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in the field of social movement theory recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of how culture and cognition influence political participation. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for researchers and students interested in the intersection of sociology and political activism.
Page Count:
360
Publication Date:
2020-02-25
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190078014
ISBN-13:
9780190078010
Politics & Social Sciences
Politics & Government
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Psychology
Social Networks
Activism
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Sociology
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