Staying in Place. New Literature on the Development of Social Movements

A review essay on seven books (see listings in IRPS No. 51). Sociological analysis of social movements faces various difficulties from being interpreted as a political statement to varying theoretical perspectives. The volumes under discussion here represent mainly an extension of the critiques of parliamentary democracy of the 1960s & 1970s & focus on the structural & legitimation problems of the capitalist state. Contemporary social movements cover a wide spectrum, including the women's movement, protests by youths, etc. These books suffer from blurred conceptualizations & limited theoretical approaches, which is regrettable, since the traditions of sociology provide a good foundation. Over 2,000 pages of difficult reading leave the reviewer confused & not really wiser. Instead of concentrating on the diversity of movements, researchers might do well to focus on what it is that "moves.". M. Maxfield