Waveland Press - Persuasion and Social Movements, Sixth Edition, by Charles J. Stewart, Craig Allen Smith, Robert E. Denton, Jr.

Conflict over moral, religious, social, political, and economic values fuel social movements. People form organized collectivities to promote or to oppose changes in societal norms and values. The steady growth in globalization and access to information have increased the perception of threats to identity, values, and culture. Persuasion and Social Movements provides a solid foundation for understanding how people collectively shape society. The latest edition marks three decades of synthesizing, applying, and extending research and theories about the persuasive efforts of social movements. Historic and current examples illustrate the many facets of social movement persuasion:

• Persuasion is inherently practical; we can study it most profitably by examining the functions of persuasive acts.
• Even apparently irrational acts make sense to the actor—effective analysis discovers the reasoning behind the acts.
• People create and comprehend their world through symbols, and it is people who create, use, ignore, or act on these symbolic creations.
• Although they remain important in social movement persuasion, speeches are now one of many resources for organizing and carrying out a variety of protests.
• New technologies have transformed how social movements come into existence, constitute organizations, establish coalitions, pressure institutions, and communicate with a wide variety of audiences.
• Social movements sometimes sell conspiracy theories to skeptical audiences, justify inherently divisive tactics, and use violence as a rhetorical strategy.
• Institutions and countermovements have a variety of strategies for resistance.

“A consistent, thorough, and timeless text! A great foundational text for classes on social movements or a persuasion class.” — Mark A. Gring, Texas Tech University

1. What Is a Social Movement?
An Organized Collectivity / An Uninstitutionalized Collectivity / Large in Scope / Promotes or Opposes Changes in Societal Norms and Values / Encounters Opposition in a Moral Struggle / Persuasion Is Pervasive / Conclusions

2. Social Movements as Interpretive Systems
Theorizing about Communication / Communication Processes, Networks, and Systems / The Interpretive Systems Model / Studying Social Movements as Interpretive Systems: "The Question" / Conclusions

3. The Persuasive Functions of Social Movements
Transforming Perceptions of Social Reality / Altering Self-Perceptions of Protestors / Legitimizing the Social Movement / Prescribing Courses of Action / Mobilizing for Action / Sustaining the Social Movement / Conclusions

4. The Stages of Social Movements
Stage 1: Genesis / Stage 2: Social Unrest / Stage 3: Enthusiastic Mobilization / Stage 4: Maintenance / Stage 5: Termination / Conclusions

5. Leadership of Social Movements
Public Perceptions of Leadership in Social Movements / The Nature of Leadership in Social Movements / How Leadership Is Attained in Social Movements / How Leadership Is Maintained in Social Movements / Conclusions

6. Languaging Strategies and Tactics of Social Movements
Communication, Society, and Social Order / Languaging Strategies of Social Movements / Languaging Tactics of Social Movements / Conclusions

7. Constituting Social Movement Organizations
Peoples, Organizations, and Communication / Four Social Movement Organizations for Analysis / Analyzing the Rhetorical Construction of SMOs / Conclusions

8. Political Argument in Social Movements
The Nature of Argument / The Types of Political Argument / Conclusions

9. Argument from Narrative Vision in Social Movements
Theories of Narrative and Rhetorical Visions / The "New Right" of the Late 1970s / The Militia Movement of the 1990s / Conclusions

10. Transcending the Opposition
Argument from Transcendence / The Abortion Conflict as a Case Study / The Clash over Personhood / The Clash over Rights / The Clash over Realities / The Clash over Competing Social Movements / Conclusions

11. Selling Conspiracy Theories to Skeptical Audiences
Sowing Distrust / Challenging Plausibility / Telling a Better Story / Conclusions

12. Justifying Divisive Tactics
Social Movement Opposition to Violence / Addressing Situational Demands / Responding to Moral Obligations / Turning to Violence / Defending Selves and Others / Conclusions

13. The Cocreation of Terrorist Pressure: Strategic Violence, Blockbuster News, and Presidential Framing
Kinds of Violence / Understanding the Terrorist's Perspective / Cocreating the Terrorist's Pressure / The Terrorist Act / The Role of Persuasion in Countering Terrorism / Case Study: Al Qaeda and the 9/11 Attacks / Conclusions

14. Resisting Social Movements
The Conferring of Powers on Institutions / Democracy and Resistance to Social Movements / The Strategy of Evasion / The Strategy of Counter-Persuasion / The Strategy of Coercive Persuasion / The Strategy of Adjustment / Conclusions