1. Chapters from reader: pp.55-59 Intro to
Part III, Ch. 7 McAdam, Ch.9 Kurzman,
pp.93-95 Intro to Part IV, Ch. 11 Whittier
- Video clips about Freedom Summer

2. What makes the activists join movements
while others (free riders) do not?
Free riders can always benefit from the
work of the activists without having to do
the work themselves. So why should
anyone join?
Multiple explanations:
• individualistic/ personality
• Structural
• cultural

3. Crowd theory: alienated, frustrated people
swept up in irrational behavior
Movements provide incentives to entice
people to join, so rational calculation
Mass society: people join because they
lack connections to organizations and
networks

4. Are there certain social conditions that help
explain why people become activists,
independent of their personalities?
Biographical availability (McAdam)
Social networks include activists
(McAdam)

5. Frame theory: activist communities
collectively define meanings of problem
and solution
Collective identity or feeling part of the
group helps explain participation as well
Moral shocks: people protest because of a
feeling of moral obligation

6. Recently, scholars of social movements
argue for combining individual, structural,
and cultural explanations
Read paragraph at bottom of p.58

7. We’ve already explored explanations for
joining movements
But why do people stay involved?
Reasons for joining may differ from
reasons for staying involved
Many common processes within
movements help motivate activists to
continue their participation.
See next slide for examples:

8. Movements commonly engage in these
practices which creates a sense of
solidarity among activists:
• Collective decision making
• Consciousness raising
• Group boundary maintenance (polarization
frames)
• Collective empowerment (drama of experiencing
mass protest)