“Social movements” is a relatively modern scientific field. Until the 1960s, they were a sub-field within broader social and political theories. However, the reality shaped by the revolt of ’68 and the emergence and spread in the 1970s of the New Social Movements changed the form and content of citizens’ political and social action. This created the need for more intensive study of the movements as well as new theoretical approaches and analysis. Recent developments in the field of social movements such as the alternative globalization movement and the anti-austerity movements have given new impetus to research and led again to new theoretical formulations. In addition, differentiated experiences, mainly in Latin American countries, have provided the opportunity to formulate differentiated theoretical approaches. The research questions that have been raised in the various theories concern why, how and when social movements emerge and develop, what are the individual motivations for participation, how to analyze their political discourse, which is the significance of collective collective identity, how they are influenced by structural changes of the society and politics, how they fit into their wider political environment, what is their political and social role and how they change the society and the policies.
The course focuses on theories of collective action and social movements. Emphasis will be given to: a. the criticism of approaches to rational choice theory, b. in the theory of conflict politics, c. the theory of new social movements; and d. in contemporary approaches.
In particular, the following topics are considered:
-Definitions of social movements (theoretical and epistemological conditions)
-Theories of collective behavior and relative deprivation (Blumer, Gurr, Davies, Merton)
-Anarchist Theories of the 19th century
-Marxist Theories of Collective Action: Similarities and Differences in Lenin’s and Luxembourg’s Approaches
-Rational choice Theory (M. Olson)
-Resource mobilization Theory (Mc Carthy – Zald)
-New Social movements Theories(Touraine, Melucci, Offe and Habermas)
-The approach of the political process with emphasis on the concept of the structure of political opportunity (Mc Adam, Tarrow)
-Frame Analysis (Snow, Benford)
– Contentious Politics (Tilly)
– Contemporary anarchists approaches
– Approaches from Latin America (Zibecci, Holloway)

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
– recognize the key questions of the contemporary social movement research,
– understand the theoretical and epistemological differences between the research programs set up for the study of social movements in the last 50 years,
– recognize the impact of the social and political context on the dominant theories,
– use basic research tools of the most up-to-date approaches.

Students are assessed for their presence and participation in the course, for conducting research (optional) and for written exams at the end of the semester.

Additional bibliography for study

Αλεξανδρόπουλος Σ. 2001, Θεωρίες για τη συλλογική δράση και τα κοινωνικά κινήματα, τόμος Α’, Κριτική, Αθήνα, 2001.
Benford R., Snow D. 2000, «Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment», Annual Review of Sociology, 26: 611-639.
della Porta D. (κ.ά,) 2016, Late neoliberalism and its discontents, Palgrave
Eder K. 1995, «Does Social Class Matter in the Study of Social Movements? A Theory of Middle-class Radicalism», στο Louis Maheu, Social Movements and Social Classes, London: Sage, σελ. 21-54.
Ζιμπέκι Ρ. 2010, Αυτονομίες και χειραφετήσεις, Αθήνα: Αλάνα
Ηall S., Held D., MCGrew A. 2010, Η νεωτερικότητα σήμερα, Σαββάλας.
Gamson, W. 1990, The Strategy of Social Protest, 2η  έκδοση, Wadsworth Boston.
Hirsch, J. 1998, «A Party is not a Movement and Vice Versa», στο: Ely, J. και Mayer M., (επιμ.), The German Greens. Paradox between Movement and Party. Τemple University Press, Philadelphia, σελ. 180 -192.
Holloway, J. 2006,  Ας αλλάξουμε τον κόσμο χωρίς να καταλάβουμε την εξουσία. Αθήνα: Σαββάλας.
Holloway, J. 2011, Ρωγμές στον καπιταλισμό. Αθήνα: Σαββάλας.
Inglehart R. 2003, «Changing Values in Post-Industrial Societies», (απόσπασμα από το The Silent Revolution) στο Jeff Goodwin, James M. Jasper, The Social Movements Reader. Cases and Concepts, Oxford: Blackwell, 64-80.
Καβουλάκος Κ.Ι., Σερντεδάκις Ν. 2016,  «Συλλογική δράση και κοινωνικά κινήματα». Στο Μεταξάς Α.Ι. (Επιμ.), Πολιτική Επιστήμη: Διακλαδική και συγχρονική διερεύνηση της πολιτικής πράξης. Τόμος IV. Πολιτική Κοινωνιολογία – Κοινωνική Εκπροσώπηση και Πολιτική Συμμετοχή. Αθήνα, Ι. Σιδέρης.
Jenkins C.J. 1983, «Resource Mobilization Theory and the Study of Social Movements», Annual Review of Sociology 9: 527-553.
Jenkins, C. και Klanderman, B. 1995, The Politics  of Social Protest. Comparative Perspectives  on States and Social Movements.  London: University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
Johnston H., Larana E. and Gusfield J 1994, New Social Movements. From Ideology to Identity, Philadelphia, Temple University Press.
Johnston H. and Klandermans B. 1995, (eds.), Social Movements and Culture, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Κιουπκιολής Α., 2014, Για τα κοινά της ελευθερίας,  Αθήνα, εκδόσεις Εξάρχεια
Mayer M., Roth R. 1995, «New Social Movements and the Transformation to Post-Fordist Society», στο Marcy Darnovsky, Barbara Epstein and Richard Flacks, (eds.), Cultural Politics and Social Movements, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, σελ. 299-319.
McAdam D. 1982, Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
McAdam D., McCarthy J., Zald M. 1996, Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements. Political Opportunities, Mobilizing Structures, and Cultural Framings, Cambridge University Press.
Maeckelbergh, M. 2011. “Doing is Believing: Prefiguration as Strategic Practice in the Alterglobalization Movement” Social Movement Studies 10(1): 1-20
Neveu E. 2010, Kοινωνιολογία των κοινωνικών κινημάτων και ιστορίες κινημάτων από το Μεσαίωνα μέχρι σήμερα. Αθήνα: εκδ. Σαββάλας
Ρέγιες Α. κ.ά. 2016, Κοινά αγαθά και κοινωνικά κινήματα, Εκδόσεις των Συναδέλφων
Ν. Σερντεδάκις, 2008, «Ζητήματα μεθοδολογίας στη μελέτη των κοινωνικών κινημάτων και της συλλογικής δράσης». Στο Παπαϊωάννου Σκ. (Επιμ.), Ζητήματα Θεωρίας και Μεθόδου των Κοινωνικών Επιστημών, εκδόσεις Κριτική, Αθήνα
Σεφεριάδης Σ. 2006,  Συγκρουσιακή πολιτική, συλλογική δράση, κοινωνικά κινήματα: μια αποτύπωση, Ελληνική Επιθεώρηση Πολιτικής Επιστήμης, τόμος 27, σσ. 7-42
Ψημίτη M. 2006, Εισαγωγή στα Σύγχρονα Κοινωνικά Κινήματα, εκδόσεις Ατραπός, Αθήνα
Ψημίτης, Μ. 2017, Κοινωνικά Κινήματα στην Καθημερινή Ζωή. Ταυτότητα, αλληλεγγύη και προεικόνιση σε σύγχρονες κοσμοπολίτικες κοινότητες, Θεσσαλονίκη: Εκδόσεις Τζιόλα.