POLI 231 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Emiliano Zapata, Arab Spring, Subcomandante Marcos
17 May 2018
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- Social movements
o Why do social movements emerge?
• Social movements arise to champion a cause that cannot be adequately addressed through
eistig haels the politial oppotuit stutue
• Initially, they are not institutionalized; their demands may be integrated into existing
institutions
o The role of social networks
• Ties between prospective members are essential to the initial formation of a group and to
expanding its membership
• When pre-existing networks are present, recruitment will be more successful- these networks
may at first be dormant
• Otherwise, movements will remain limited and gain little traction
• This challenges the notion of protests as completely spontaneous
• It suggests that large-scale protests have more direction and cohesion than is readily apparent
o Arab spring, protests spreading through many countries in the region, were spontaneous
but revealed to have certain structure that guides the flow of social mobilization
o Large scale protests often have more direction and cohesion that we may recognize and
understand at first glance
o When do social movements emerge?
• Social movements emerge through economic and political shifts
• these shifts usually correspond to a drop in state repression, or the emergence of divisions
among the rule elite
• These shifts ou idepedetl of potestes’ effots, ut the ope up spaes fo the
movements to emerge
• Social movements are primarily politically-oriented, directing their demands towards elites and
the state
• A crisis such as losing a foreign war a udeie a goeet’s legitia
o CA“E “TUDY: the fall of Agetia’s ilita ditatoship
• From 1976-83, Argentina was ruled by a repressive junta (a cabal of army generals)
• The government killed at least 30,000 people during this period
• In 1982, the regime provoked a war, with the UK over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
• Britain defeated the Argentine military, embarrassing them
• Mass protests ensued, and the regime agreed to step down and hold elections for a civilian
leader
o Marketig ad attracting international allies
• Social movements typically compete with each other to try to gain international support for
their cause
• Global civil society has a limited amount of sympathy, attention and willingness to devote
resources (Scarcity)
• Groups that fail to calibrate their message to trendy causes or that lack a charismatic leader
capable of expressing grievances in a major western language (e.g English or Spanish), might
never garner international attention or support
• Many groups advocating worth human-rights causes have not succeeded in capturing a share of
global attention
o CA“E “TUDY: Meio’s E)LN )apatista Natioal Lieatio A- the )apatistas
• Based Mainly-Indigenous Chiapas State
• Realled eo of Meio’s Eilio )apata, ealy 20th century rebel leader
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