From Adherents to Activists: The Process of Social Movement Mobilization

• In Event: Resistance and Social Movements

Abstract

How do social movements influence political behavior? Political participation studies often overlook the influence of social movements on participation, focusing primarily on the importance of money, civic skills, and social networks. This lack of attention to movements can obscure an important way in which the racially or economically marginalized or those without access to traditional political resources might become involved in political activities. On the other hand, studies of social movement politics focus on movements’ influence on political leaders and institutions, and less on how movements shape individual attitudes, political learning, and behavior. What is missing in the literature is an analysis connecting movements to their various personal and participatory outcomes—including noninstitutional political activities like disruption, community organizing, and political education. Without attending to these outcomes, researchers miss the personal impacts of movement participation, as well as the various modes of political participation and engagement that movements offer, beyond voting and running for office. Drawing from social movement theory, I develop profiles of movement supporters, unpacking the mechanisms of social movement support at both aggregate and individual levels. I do this in two ways: through an analysis of 2016 ANES data on favorability towards Black Lives Matter and via 30 in-depth interviews with both progressive and racial justice activists in Chicago from March 2019- January 2020. From the public opinion data, I find that movement support in the aggregate hinges on political and personal identities, with racial attitudes largely driving favorability towards Black Lives Matter. I describe these aggregate supporters, or “adherents,” as having the necessary profiles that make them open to a movement’s message. However, favorability towards a movement does little to explain engaging in the costly, additional steps of political activism, especially for those who do not typically engage in political activities. Through the activist interviews, I find that activists and organizers describe their participation and social movement support in terms beyond their personal racial identity, pointing to larger political goals, the desire to solve social problems, and the political power of community. This two-fold study helps me model the transition from social movement adherent to activist. In addition, this study focuses on the Movement for Black Lives as a primary case, delving into its political influence on American activism at the national and local levels since its inception in 2013.

Author

• Jordie Davies, Johns Hopkins University