Understanding Individual Commitment to Collective Action

Theoretical and Methodological Approaches

By: Carlos RamÃrez (Editor)

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Hardcover | 1 September 2023

At a Glance

Hardcover
228 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.39 x 15.6 x 1.42

Hardcover

RRP $284.00

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When speaking colloquially of political participation or civic action, one thinks, in the first instance, of groups and organizations such as political parties, social movements or various types of voluntary associations. The perspective of individuals is not the first thing that comes to mind when seeking to understand their functioning. In contrast to this vision, understanding the dynamics of participation requires taking a closer look at the individual, that is, at his or her moral dispositions and projects, his or her multiple and simultaneous identities, the breaking points in his or her biographical trajectory, the roles he or she adopts in an organization or the styles of communication which he or she uses. The book comprises a variety of case studies and theoretical and methodological contributions that, independent of rational choice theories, seek to understand collective action at the level of the individual and, in doing so, to articulate the various fields of study in this regard with the singularity of biographies and the reflective personal identities that characterize contemporary individualism.

Industry Reviews

'With illustrations ranging from the 1789 Revolution to the FARC, this edited volume contributes to our understanding of the individual paths into various forms of collective action. Bridging different approaches and methodologies, it locates the analysis of activists' trajectories within a processual and relational perspective that goes beyond micro-dynamics.'

- Donatella della Porta (Professor of political science and dean of the Institute for Humanities and the Social Sciences at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, Italy.

'With an all-star cast of contributors, this short book covers an immense theoretical terrain. It probes the mystery of action, linking individuals to the social world around them. They think, feel, and engage with others in and out of many public and private settings, coming to politics with a range of goals and fantasies.'

- James Jasper (Professor of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center)

'What if social movement theory were more generous with individuals so often crushed under the weight of structures and reduced to rational abstractions? This book presents a range of innovative ideas for how to sociologically approach the protester. Here we find brighter colours in the palette of our methods and concepts that help bring into the foreground the idiosyncrasies, motives and dilemmas of those individuals who give flesh and soul to the movements in which they participate.'

- Erik Neveu (Professor Emeritus, ARENES/CNRS)

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