Social Movements and Political Protest

Traditionally, it was assumed that even in clear-cut democracies, the focus of the political process lies with the political establishment and not with professional politicians. However, in recent decades a significant perceptual shift has taken place in the study of political action – from the top echelons to grassroots. It has become apparent that the public is not always indifferent or ignorant. Citizens are increasingly organizing in order to influence the outcomes of the political process; for example, through ecological movements, human and civil rights movements, anti-globalization protest movements, and the like.

This 3-volume series presents this “new politics”: it examines the structural and conceptual factors which encourage or impede the development of participation channels outside of the establishment, explores the tension that arises between action organized by citizens and by the political establishment, identifies the sectors which generate civil initiatives, analyzes the socio-demographic profile of activists, and examines the strategies and tactics used by these movements.

Volume 1: Patterns of political participation – Grassroots political participation; Extra-parliamentary political participation (1995, 304 pp., cat. # 10454-1)

Volume 2: Social movements – Recruitment and activity patterns; Interrelations with the environment (1996, 288 pp., cat. # 10454-2)

Volume 3: Strategies for grassroots political participation – Non-violent protest; Terrorism (1997, 200 pp., cat. # 10454-3)

Dr. Tamar Hermann, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication at the Open University of Israel, is Director of Tel Aviv University's Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research which was established in 1992 to promote systematic research and thinking on issues connected with peacemaking processes and conflict resolution.

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