Our Social World: Introduction to Sociology
SAGE Journal Articles
Journal Article 16.1: Frederickson, M. E. (2017). A place to speak our minds: Locating women’s activism where north meets south. Journal of Developing Societies, 23(1–2), 128–145. doi:10.1177/0169796X0602300204
Abstract: Eighty years ago, a sizable cohort of activists, scholars and labor organizers argued that the future of the North American labor movement depended on the successful organization of women workers in the U.S. South. In 2005, activists, scholars and labor organizers make markedly similar arguments about the important role being played by young women entering “maquiladoras” in the Global South. Divided by time and place, these two groups of workers share the legacy of paying the human costs of industrialization and globalization. In both groups, a significant minority of women responded to the economic and social changes confronting them by turning to activism and fighting back. Collective organization, workers’ education and feminist cooperation were hallmarks of women’s activism for social and economic justice in the U.S. South in the mid-20th century. The success of these efforts depended on women locating places where they could develop historical consciousness, find their voices and openly “speak their minds.” The experiences of women workers of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s in the U.S. South, provide concrete models for women in the Global South today.
Learning Objective: 16.4: Explain the six factors necessary for collective behavior to occur.
Summary: Through an exploration of the experiences of women working in “maquiladoras,” the author reveals some of the impacts of industrialization on mobilization in the Global South.
Journal Article 16.2: Snow, D. A., & Moss, D. M. (2014, Oct 24). Protest on the fly: Toward a theory of spontaneity in the dynamics of protest and social movements. American Sociological Review, 79(6), 1122–1143. doi:10.1177/0003122414554081
Abstract: This article reexamines spontaneity as an important, albeit neglected, mechanism in collective action dynamics, and elaborates on its operation and effects in protest events and social movements. We do not presume that spontaneity is routinely at play in all collective actions. Rather, based on our grounded analysis of historical and ethnographic data, we contend that spontaneity is triggered by certain conditions: nonhierarchical organization; uncertain/ambiguous moments and events; behavioral/emotional priming; and certain ecological/spatial factors. We conclude by elaborating why the activation of spontaneous actions matters in shaping the course and character of protest events and movements, and we suggest that spontaneity be resuscitated in the study of collective action and everyday life more generally.
Learning Objective: 16.5: Provide examples of the difference between planned and unplanned change.
Summary: Unplanned or spontaneous change is a phenomenon that is crucial to collective action. Here the authors utilize qualitative data to develop predictors for this mechanism.
Journal Article 16.3: Swing, K., Davidov, V., & Schwartz, B. (2012). Oil development on traditional lands of indigenous peoples: Coinciding perceptions on two continents. Journal of Developing Societies, 28(2), 257–280. doi:10.1177/0169796X12448760
Abstract: Two unrelated indigenous rainforest cultures are compared in relationship to their experiences with the oil industry in their territories. Despite their geographic separation, in Central Africa and western Amazonia, the acculturation process and its outcomes have been quite similar for the Bagyeli and the Waorani. In both cases, expectations for improvements in quality of life were high as the oil industry arrived but tremendous disappointments soon followed. Typically, indigenous people blame oil companies for creating unrealistic scenarios and for not following through with promises. To get its future neighbors on board with coming changes, enticements are a frequent part of conversations prior to establishment of industrial infrastructure and operations. Subsequent to development, indigenous people feel that they have been drawn into a negative situation, that they end up essentially abandoned by their governments, and that the oil companies come through with only a minimal proportion of what was originally offered.
Learning Objective: 16.1: Describe how the development of technology brings about change in societies and their environments.
Summary: The authors compare two rainforest communities and the impact oil development has had on them. They find that these communities follow the pattern similar to boom and bust cycles in other oil developed areas.