20 - Social Movements: Sequences vs Fuzzy Temporality

Abstract

Drawing on dominant theoretical approaches from the interdisciplinary field of social movement studies, this chapter seeks a temporally sensitive account of social movement action. It begins by constructing a sequential view of movements that focuses on three phases: mobilization, interaction, and consequences. Following a critique of the sequential approach, it suggests new directions for the development of a more temporally sensitive understanding via the notions of velocity, vector, timescale, and timescape. Contentious politics, social movements, temporality, timescape, waves of protestKevin Gillan is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester. He served as editor-in-chief of the journal Social Movement Studies from 2015 to 2019. His published work focuses primarily on the generation and communication of alternative ideas in movements opposing war and neoliberal capitalism.