Although the fields of organization theory and social movement theory have long been viewed as belonging to different worlds, recent events have intervened, reminding us that organizations are becoming more movement-like - more volatile and politicized - while movements are more likely to borrow strategies from organizations. Organization theory and social movement theory are two of the most vibrant areas within the social sciences. This collection of original essays and studies both calls for a closer connection between these fields and demonstrates the value of this interchange. Three introductory, programmatic essays by leading scholars in the two fields are followed by eight empirical studies that directly illustrate the benefits of this type of cross-pollination. The studies variously examine the processes by which movements become organized and the role of movement processes within and among organizations. The topics covered range from globalization and transnational social movement organizations to community recycling programs.
"Davis, McAdam, Scott, and Zald have assembled superb scholarso in an enterprise that is truly more than the sum of its parts."
Frank Dobbin, Harvard University
"...fascinating and fruitful. The book breaks important new ground..."
Neil Fligstein, University of California, Berkeley
"In his influential statement on the development of middlerange theory, Merton pressed social scientists to develop a progressively more general conceptual scheme that is adequate to consolidate groups of special theories. Despite this call to action, scholarship in many substantive areas, including administrative science, has become increasingly balkanized and dominated by specialized concerns. Social Movements and Organization Theory is a welcome antidote to this trend, deftly combining theory and empirical findings from two of the most vibrant areas of sociology... [A] must read for researchers in both fields."
Administrative Science Quarterly
"a groundbreaking work such as this reflects the innovation of its sources rather than its comprehensiveness, so its implications are more far reaching than can be covered in one volume. These essays represent, nonetheless, considerable progress towards the integration of two perspectives encompassing social change and stability and will serve as an invaluable resource to students of social movements and organizations for years to come." - Mathew E. Archibald, Emory University
"Social Movements and Organizational theory is a significant, theoretically edited volume that draws on senior scholars of organization thory and social movements organizations...this limited space cannot begin to do justice to the rich and varied contributions of this book" - Heidi Swarts, Rutgers University, Perspectives on Politics
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