Why the Study of Social Movements is Important for Sociology

The study of social movements has been central to sociology from the very beginning of the discipline. The reason lies in the historical context in which sociology was born.

The French Revolution was the violent culmination of several movements aimed at overthrowing the monarchy and establishing liberty, equality and fraternity. In Britain, the Industrial Revolution was marked by great social upheaval. Poor labourers and artisans who had left the countryside to find work in cities protested against the inhuman living conditions into which they were forced. Food riots in England were often suppressed by the government.

These protests were perceived by elites as a major threat to the established order of society. Their anxiety about maintaining social order is reflected in the work of sociologist Emile Durkheim. Durkheim’s writings about the division of labour in society, forms of religious life, and even suicide, mirror his concern about how social structures enable social integration. From this perspective, social movements were seen as forces that led to disorder.

Scholars influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx offered a different view of violent collective action. Historians like E. P. Thompson showed that the ‘crowd’ and the ‘mob’ were not made up of anarchic hooligans out to destroy society. Instead, they too had a ‘moral economy’ — their own shared understanding of right and wrong that informed their actions. Their research showed that poor people in urban areas had good reasons for protesting. They often resorted to public protest because they had no other way of expressing their anger and resentment against deprivation. …