Persuasion and Social Movements, Fifth Edition

The history of the United States has arguably been a history of social movements striving for freedom, justice, equality, and a more perfect social order. Institutions and countermovements confront and sometimes suppress the dissatisfied to sustain the order already in place. Social movements form to champion innumerable causes: to end military conflicts, to protect the environment, to gain rights for animals, to halt legalized abortion, and to reduce the power of corporate, governmental, religious, and educational bureaucracies. Conflict over moral, religious, social, political, and economic values fuel social movements and countermovements. Globalization and the constantly increasing availability of electronic means of communication have spawned social movements to counter perceived threats to identity, values, and culture. Persuasion and Social Movements provides a solid foundation for understanding how people have collectively shaped society and where future efforts may lead. The authors skillfully weave current and historic examples to illustrate the many facets of social movement persuasion. The fifth edition contains new chapters on violence and terrorism. All chapters incorporate recent research and explore how new technologies have transformed the ways social movement organizations communicate with their audiences.