The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements

A sociologist in, let us say, the thirteenth century might possibly have been justified in describing society “as it is”. It is rather less forgivable for modern sociologists, anthropologists, and moral and political philosophers to adopt such a static approach. Their study ought to be of “the ways in which society is changing from this to that”. All modern social research should focus on social change. I am therefore somewhat surprised that this is the tenth book in this particular sociological series, rather than one of the first.

Social movements can be defined as collective action outside institutional channels. It...