Social Movements Theory Responses - Jeremy Eckerling

What is the point of Social Movement Theory (SMT)?

Social Movement Theory is a theory that is used to try and explain the numerous multi-faceted aspects of social movements. One of the main questions that it attempts to answer is why people mobilize to achieve their goals. It also tries to determine potential consequences of social movements. These questions can be used to understand more about social mobilization and why it occurs. It can also be used to determine which factors cause successful social movements versus less successful ones. This could potentially be used to determine which areas of the world are ripe for social mobilization, and also potentially how ongoing social movements could turn out. 

Is there any reason we couldn’t use the same analytical frameworks to study, say, the American Civil Rights movement and movements for political change in the MENA region?

The main reason that it would be unwise to use the same analytical framework to study the American Civil Rights Movement and the recent movements in the MENA region is that the two movements are very different. For instance, as A Force More Powerful explained, the American Civil Rights movement was a heavily organized movement. It had definitive and strong leadership in Martin Luther King Jr., had millions of supporters, and had clear goals. No social movement is simple, but the American Civil Rights Movement was very organized and was ultimately successful. For this reason, it would likely be easier to analyze under SMT. However, the recent movements in the MENA region, including the "Arab Spring", have many differences compared to the ACRM. For starters, the ACRM was only in one country, the United States, and was only made up of one movement. In the case of the "Arab Spring", the movements were in multiple countries, therefore creating multiple movements. Some may argue that the movements had shared ideologies, but nonetheless, the movements were distinct in most cases. In any case, the movements were less organized than the ACRM. The movements had numerous different factions, and in some cases, numerous leaders. Because the movements in the MENA region were so incredibly complicated compared to the ACRM, it would likely be more difficult to analyze the "Arab Spring" as a whole under the SMT. However, analyzing an individual movement in an individual country would likely be easier. 

What use can SMT be in understanding the success of Islamist movements?

The rise of Islamic groups such as ISIL over the previous few years is quite remarkable. That some are wondering whether ISIL should be considered a sovereign state is eye-boggling. Even though ISIL has committed atrocities, it is nonetheless a cohesive, well-organized, and successful social movement. We know that ISIL has largely been successful, but SMT can be used to understand why it has been so successful. For example, it could be used to analyze the political situation before the rise of the group, and see if this political situation is a common theme with other successful social mobilization groups. We would then be able to compare the movement with others, and see if it is an anomaly, or if it was a natural occurrence based on the landscape of Iraq and Syria.