This landmark volume brings together some of the titans of social movement theory in a grand reassessment of its status. For some time, the field has been divided between a dominant structural approach and a cultural or constructivist tradition. The gaps and misunderstandings between the two sides—as well as the efforts to bridge them—closely parallel those in the discipline of sociology at large. This book aims to further the dialogue between these two distinct approaches to social movements and to show the broader implications for sociology as a whole as it struggles with issues including culture, emotion, and agency.

Contributions by: Myra Marx Ferree, Richard Flacks, Marshall Ganz, Jeff Goodwin, Deborah B. Gould, James M. Jasper, Ruud Koopmans, Charles Kurzman, Doug McAdam, David A. Merrill, David S. Meyer, Aldon Morris, Francesca Polletta, Marc W. Steinberg, Sidney Tarrow, Charles Tilly