Activist Spaces, Party Fortunes, and Movement Mobilization: A Study of Antiwar Protest in Washington, D.C. 2005-2010

• In Event: 593 - Regular Session. Social Movements: The Emergence and Outcomes of Protest

Abstract

Are there “hotbeds” of activism in urban centers that affect how movements stage their protests? We address this question with a model of how geography affects movement mobilization. We suggest that areas where there are high concentrations of movement organizations and sympathetic partisans are responsible for creating a more partisan composition of the movement. Using data from a longitudinal study of the antiwar movement from 2005-2010, we show that Washington, D.C. zip codes with high rates of voting for John Kerry in 2004 and a high density of peace organizations produced relatively more Democrat protestors than third party or non-partisan protesters in 2005. We show that this not true in 2007-2010, after Democrats gained control of Congress. This suggests that party victories can activate or deactivate activist incubators.

Authors

• Fabio Rojas, Indiana University

• Michael T. Heaney, University of Michigan