Blackwell Reference Online

The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements is a compilation of original, state-of-the-art essays by internationally recognized scholars. Covering a diverse range of topics in the field of social movement studies, this Companion is an illuminating guide to understanding the dynamics and operation of social movements within the modern, global world.

The abundance of social movement activity throughout the world, both violent and nonviolent, has made the study of social movements a valuable resource that will help students and scholars to engage with and understand their own social world. Issues covered in this one volume include: historical, political, and cultural contexts; leadership; organizational dynamics; social networks and participation; consequences and outcomes; and synthetic overviews of major social movements, including labor, anti-war, women's, religious, ethnic and national, and environmental movements.