Protests, Movements and Transformations

Semester and Year Offered: Mansoon 2011

Course Coordinator and Team:Dr.Bidhan Chandra Dash

Email of course coordinator:bidhan[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in

Pre-requisites: NA

Aim: Protests and Social Movements are ubiquitous in the world we live. Sociology asserts that they are diverse, creative and progressive as they carry alternative voices and ultimately reconstruct the society. Sociology treats social movements as integral part of society that needs careful and critical observation and analysis. While protests are the strategic manifestations of movements, social and political transformation is what they seek to achieve. This course attempts to unravel the closely knit connections between Movements, Protests with that of socio-political Transformations. The aim of this course is to make the students understand how social agents collectively strive for social change by questioning the established power structures of any society.

Objectives

• To equip the students with foundational concepts and knowledge on the key literatures available in the field of protests and social movements
• To sensitize the students to the idea of collective action and its close connection with social change/ social transformation at a time when individual and individuality dominates the narrative of change.
• To introduce the students to the literature of social movements and resistance studies
• To explain the students to the unique standpoint of sociology as a discipline in understanding social movements and collective action.
• To expose the students to the empirical and theoretical universe of protests and movements.

Course Outcomes:

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Make a clear cognate connection between protests and movements to social and political transformation.
2. Have basic knowledge of the knowledge and literature on crucial studies in the field of social movements and collective action.
3. Sociological interpretations of protests and movements and historically relate them to the major social movements that have brought about significant transformations in our society.
4. Develop an interdisciplinary understanding on protests and movements
5. Develop a sociological perspective on the major social movements and the issues they raise in contemporary context.
6. Develop a comparative approach to the studies in social movements.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

The course is divided into eleven modules. While the first four modules lay down the theoretical approaches to the study of social movements, the next six modules discuss and interpret major social movements and the issues they raise

Module-I: From Structural Strain to Rational Action

This module begins with a general discussion on significant protests in recent times and moves on to explain how sociological understandings have been constantly challenged by the baffling realities that exists at the level of practice. With a historical overview of various perspectives, the module may end with explaining how “Structural Strain” and “Rational Action”, represent two extreme ontological contours of sociological adventure in understanding protests and movements

Module-II: Protest and Movements as “Empirical Realities”

This module briefly attempts discuss some of the emerging approaches in understanding Social Movements as ‘empirical realities’ than ideological battles to be fought with. This has opened new debates on the question of researcher and researched and triggered a debate on the methodology of researching the “nomads”. However, a series of ‘middle range’ theories have also provided newer lenses to understand protests and movements.

Module-III: “Central Contradictions”: and the Centrality of Labour

In this module, we discuss the workers/labours movements as not only an empirical reality to be understood, but also as an Ideology and Utopia which both inspires, as well as, informs Social movement studies. We begins with the biblical text of Marxism- “The Manifesto of Communist Party and discuss the trials and tribulations of labour movement in India.

Module-IV: The Radicalism of the Sixties and the Debate on “New Social Movements”

In this module we begin our discussion on the post 1960s Social movements which posed theoretical and empirical challenges to the established approaches on Social Movements. Subsequently, the students are introduced to the various scholarships attempting to grasp the bewildering series of protests and movement that emerged in the aftermath

Module- V: Globalization and Transnational Movements

This module will discuss movements that have emerged with the onset of globalization. It will also talk about the importance of globalization on the formation and reach of various movements.

Module-VI: Nation, Nationalism and the State

This module will deliberate on various movements surrounding the idea of Nation and Nationalist Movements and the emergence of ‘nation-states’, not only as historical and Sociological phenomena, but also as cultural and ideological phenomena. It will discuss how nationalism and its critique provide a learning moment in Social Movement Studies.

Module-VII: The Peasant Movements in India

This module will begin with discussing some of the significant movements waged by the peasants in Indian Society. The students will be encouraged to apply their theoretical learning to understand various aspects of these peasant movements. The module will end with a discussion on the relationship of peasant movements with other significant movements, such as the Dalit, Tribal, Environment and Feminist Movements and instigate a debate on development and democracy.

Module-VIII: Anti-Caste and the Dalit Movements

This module will introduce the movements against caste-based social practices and how they are different from that of the Caste-based movements. It will encourage a debate on the ‘Dalit Identity’ as and its meanings, both historically and Sociologically.

Module-IX: Patriarchy and Women’s Movement in India

This module will introduce the students to the movements against patriarchy and provide them will various discourses that critique it. It will briefly discuss various movements that has emerged which question the our gendered existence.

Module-X: The Varieties of Environmentalism

This module will discuss the emergence of environmentalism as a movement and various discourses and their interpretations. The module encourage the students to engage in contemporary issues related to environment.

Module-XI: Adivasi Movements in India

This module will provide a brief discussion on tribal movements in India.

Assessment Details with weights:

There will be 4 assessments in this course apart from the regular class participation

• In class participation- 20%
• Field Visits and assessment- 20%
• Term Paper-30%
• Class Test-30%

Reading List:

• Crossley, N. 2002. Making Sense of Social Movements, Philadelphia: Open University Press. Page: 1-55
• Della Porta, D. and Mario Diani. 2006. Social Movements: An Introduction, Malden: Blackwell Publications. Page: 64-134.
• Tarrow, S. 1996. State and Opportunities: The Political Structuring of Social Movements, in Doug McAdam et al ed. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunity, Mobilizing Structures and Cultural Framing, New York: Cambridge University Press. Page-41-61.
• McAdam D. 1996. The Framing Function of Movement tactics: Strategic Dramaturgy in American Civil Rights Movements, in Doug McAdam et al ed. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunity, Mobilizing Structures and Cultural Framing, New York: Cambridge University Press. Page-338-357.
• Bramen, J. 1989. Taming the Coolie Beast: Plantation Society and Colonial Order in South Asia, Bombay: OUP. Page- 131-175.
• Chibber, V. 2005. From Class Compromise to Class Accommodation: Labour’s incorporation into India’s Political Economy, in Ray, R and Katzentein, M.F eds. Social Movement in India: Poverty, Power and Politics, Oxford: Rowmen and Littlefield Publishers Inc. Page- 32-53
• Marx, K. and F.Engels.1971[1848].Manifesto of the Communist Party, Moscow: Progress

Publishers.

• Aijaz Ahmad, Irfan Habib, et. al. 1999. A World to Win: Essays on the Communist Manifesto, New Delhi: Leftword
• Kothari, R. 2002. Masses, Classes and the State, in G. Shah ed. 2002. Social Movements and the State, New Delhi Sage Publications, 68-90
• Omvedt, G. 1993. Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements and the Socialist
• Tradition in India New York: E.M Sharpe.
• Stephens, J. 1998. Anti-Disciplinary Protests: Sixties Radicalism and Postmodernism, New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Castells,M.1997.The Power of Identity, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers
• Chabot, S. 2002. Transnational Diffusion and the African- American Reinvention of the Gandhian Repertoire. In Globalization and Resistance: Transnational Dimensions of Social Movements, edited by Jackie Smith and Hank Johnston, 98-114. London: Rowman& Littlefield Publishers.
• Marcos, Subcomandante. 2012. Tomorrow Begins Today. Frank J. Lechner and John Boli ed. The Globalization Reader. Fourth ed. London: Blackwell, 509-513.
• Anderson, B. 2006. Imagined Community: Reflections on Origin and Spread of Nationalism, London: Verso. Page-1-46.
• Chatterjee, P. 1993. Nation and its Fragments, New York: Princeton University Press.
• Dhanagare, D.N. 1998. Themes and Perspectives in Indian Sociology, Jaipur: Rawat Publications
• Banerjee, S. 2002. Naxalbari and the Left Movement, in G. Shah. Ed. 2002. Social Movements and the State, New Delhi: Sage Publication
• Danagare, D.N. 1974. The Social Origin of Peasant Movement in Telengana 1946-51, Contribution to Indian Sociology, No:8, Vol:109.
• Mukherji, P.N. 2005. Naxalbari Movement and the Peasant Revolt in North Bengal, in M.S.A Rao edt. 2005. Social Movements in India, New Delhi: Manohar.
• Omvedt, G. 1994.Dalits and the Democratic Revolution: Dr.Ambedkar and the Dalit
• Movement in Colonial India, New Delhi: Sage Publications.
• Omvedt, G. 1998. Peasants, Dalits and Women: Democracy and India’s New Social Movements.InPeople’sRights:SocialMovementsandtheStateintheThirdWorld, editedbyManaranjanMohanty,ParthaNathMukharjiandOlleTornquist,223-242, New Delhi: Sage Publications.
• Zelliot, A. 1996. From Untouchable to Dalit: Essays on the Ambedkar Movement. New Delhi: Manohar Publications.
• Zelliot, E. 2001. The Meaning of Ambedkar. In Dalit Identity and Politics, edited by G. Shah. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
• Sen, Rukmini. 2014. Mapping Women’s Activism in India: Resistances, reforms and (re)-creation. LeelaFernandes ed. Routledge Handbook of Gender in South Asia. London and New York: Routledge, 333-346.
• Desai, Neera. 2008. From Accommodation to Articulation: Women’s Movement in India. Mary E. John ed. Women’s Studies in India: A Reader. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books, 23-27.
• Mazumder, Vina. 2008. The Making of a Founding Text. Mary E. John ed. Women’s Studies in India: A Reader. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books, 27-32.
• Kannabiran, Kalpana. 2008. Rape and the Construction of Communal Identity. Mary E. John ed. Women’s Studies in India: A Reader. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books, 228 234.
• Namala, Annie. 2008. Dalit Women: The Conflict and Dilemma. Mary E. John ed. Women’s Studies in India: A Reader. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books, 458-466.
• Ligam, L. 2002. Taking Stock: Women’s Movement and the State, in G. Shah ed. 2002. Social Movements and the State, New Delhi Sage Publications
• Guha, R. and Alier M. 2006. Varieties of Environmentalism: Essays on North and South, London: Earthscan. Page-1-76.
• Agarwal, B. 1992. Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India, Feminist Studies, Vol: 18, No.1, Spring
• Sinha, S. 2002. Tribal Solidarity Movement in India: A Review, in G. Shah ed. 2002. Social Movements and the State, New Delhi Sage Publications
• Hoffman, J. 2005. The World of Mundas, part-I and II, New Delhi: Critical Quest.
• Klandermans, B. and Goslinga S. 1996. Media Discourse, Movement Publicity, and the Generation of Collection Action Frames: Theoretical and Empirical Exercises, in in Doug McAdam et al ed. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunity, Mobilizing Structures and Cultural Framing, New York: Cambridge University Press. Page-312-337.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE:

• Eyerman, R. and Jamison, A. 1991. Social Movement: A Cognitive Approach, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. Page: 1-2
• Snow, Soule, Sarah, A. and Hansperter, Keresi. 2006, The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, Page-1-11.
• The Club of Rome Report “Limits to Growth” and Earth on the Verge of Extinction
• Gandhi, N. and Shah, N. 1991. The Issues at Stake: Theory and Practice in Contemporary Women’s Movement in India, New Delhi: Kali for Women.
• Zald, M. 1996. Culture, Ideology, and Strategic Framing, in in Doug McAdam et al ed. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunity, Mobilizing Structures and Cultural Framing, New York: Cambridge University Press. Page-261-274.