Social movements and cultural changes 3500-FAKL-RSAZK
The objective of the seminar is to present an introduction to the theory and
research dealing with new social movements from a cultural perspective.
The cultural dimensions of social movements involve, on one hand, the
symbolic and expressive aspects of movements, and on the other - social
movements as a factor of cultural changes or of counteracting changes.
Symbolic actions and the symbolic communication of a movement’s ideas,
values and goals underlie the foundations of shaping the identity of a social
movement as a subject of collective action. The tradition of symbolic
interactionism remains a central point of contemporary analyses of the
relations between culture and social movements. This theory gave rise to
research on the social construction of meanings in social movements. The
activity of new social movements focusing on identity is one of the key
processes in postmodern social and cultural transformations. The
emergence of the social movement phenomenon will be analyzed in the
historical context of the transformations of modernity, with a special focus
on the movements’ symbolic representation, in which commitment (the
visibility of participation) has a key significance. Analyses will focus on the
social movement as a form of collective action, characterized by:
emergence, symbolization, cognitive and affective transformation,
interactivity and fluidity. The cultural determinants of movement strategies
will be analyzed, as well as protest as symbolic action. The social
movement will be presented as culture and the significance of the culture of
social movements for democracy will be analyzed. The symbolic
interactionist theory of social movements makes it possible to analyze
movements from the participants’ point of view, enabling them to define the
situations that need changing. The seminar compositions will be based on
case studies.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knows and understands basic sociological concepts
Is aware of social differentiation and existing social inequalities, as well as their
impact on the life of individuals and the functioning of social groups
Has basic knowledge about the types of social ties and the rules that govern them
Understands the social nature of relationships between individuals, social groups
and social institutions
Has basic knowledge about the mechanisms of social group dynamics and
interdependencies between groups and individuals
Is aware of the importance of the social group in building man’s identity
Has basic knowledge about cultural diversity of Poland and the modern world
Has basic knowledge of methods used in research on cultural diversity
Has basic knowledge of problems stemming from the cultural diversity of modern
society
Knows basic methods and techniques of social research and can choose
appropriate methods to solve basic research problems
Understands the specificity of sociological analysis
Knows how to plan and carry out a simple quantitative and qualitative study
Has basic knowledge of major foreign, international and domestic sociological
research
Has basic knowledge about institutions and organizations responsible for the
transfer of norms and rules in society, such as educational, legal, moral and
religious systems
Has basic knowledge about the processes forming the basis of social stability and
change, and understands their nature
Is aware of the consequences of choosing a particular theoretical perspective
Can record and observe social phenomena in a methodologically correct way
Can interpret past and present social events (political, cultural, and economic)
using sociological concepts and theories
Can independently form simple judgments on the causes of selected social
processes and phenomena
Can use basic theoretical categories to describe social changes in modern
societies
Can conduct a simple analysis of the consequences of the processes occurring in
modern societies
Can prepare a simple, descriptive scenario predicting the course of social
processes and phenomena
Can use ethical norms and rules in research practice
Assessment criteria
Participation in the discussion, presentation, seminar paper
Bibliography
1. Alexander Jeffrey C., Performance i przeciw-władza:
ruch praw obywatelskich i sfera obywatelska, w:
tenże, Znaczenia społeczne. Studia z socjologii
kulturowej, tłum. S. Burdziej, J. Gądecki, Kraków 2010:
NOMOS, s. 423-434.
2. Barker Colin, Strach, śmiech i siła zbiorowa: tworzenie
się Solidarności w sierpniu 1980 r. w stoczni im. Lenina
w Gdańsku, w: Gorlach Krzysztof, Money Patrick
(red.), Dynamika życia społecznego. Współczesne
koncepcje ruchów społecznych, Warszawa 2008,
Wydawnictwo Naukowe SCHOLAR, s. 262-280.
3. Della Porta Donatella, Mario Diani, Ruchy społeczne,
Kraków 2009, Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu
Jagiellońskiego.
4. Eyerman Ron, Performing Opposition Or, How Social
Movements Move, w: Jeffrey C. Alexander, Bernhard
Giesen Jason L. Mast (red.), Social Performance.
Symbolic Action, Cultural Pragmatics, and Ritual,
Cambridge 2006, Cambridge University Press, ss. 193-
217
5. Griswold Wendy, Tożsamości, problemy społeczne I
ruchy społeczne, w: tenże, Socjologia kultury. Kultury i
społeczeństwa w zmieniającym się świecie, tłum. P.
Tomanek, Warszawa 2013: Wydawnictwo Naukowe
PWN, s. 143-164.
6. Hałas Elżbieta, Konwersja. Perspektywa socjologiczna,
Warszawa 2007, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
7. Lofland John, Protest. Studies of Collective Behavior
and Social Movements, New Brunswick 1985.
Transaction Books.
8. McAdam Doug, Culture and Social Movements, w:
Enrique Larana, Hank Johnston and Joseph Gusfield
(red.), New Social Movements: From Ideology to
Identity, Philadelphia 1994, Temple University Press,
s. 36-57.
9. Snow David A., Social Movements, w: Larry T.
Reynolds, Nancy J. Herman Kinney, Handbook of
Symbolic Interactionism, Lanham 2003, Rowman and
Littlefield, ss. 811-833.
10. Tilly Charles, Wood Lesley J., Social Movements 1768-
2008, London 2009, Paradigm Publishers.
11. Toussaint Laura¸ Promoting Cultural Rights, w: J. Blau,
M. Frezzo (red.), Sociology and Human Rights, Los
Angeles2012: SAGE, s. 57-78.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: