Cultures of Resistance: Collective Action and Rationality in the Anti-Terror Age

Cultures of Resistance offers valuable insights into the impact of government repression on social movements, highlighting the importance of understanding how repression shapes individual experiences and group processes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 17 June 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Cultures of Resistance offers fresh perspectives on a perennial query: Do government efforts to suppress social movements have a chilling effect on dissent, or do they backfire and fuel greater mobilization? In recent years, the United States government's repressive capabilities have undergone a significant expansion, with the legal, technological, and bureaucratic tools at the disposal of state agents becoming increasingly potent. Understanding the impact of repression on the freedom to dissent and collectively express political grievances has become more crucial than ever.

Through an in-depth analysis of activists' rich and often deeply moving experiences of repression and resistance, the book sheds light on key group processes that shape how individuals understand, experience, and evaluate the risks associated with collective action. Qualitative and quantitative analyses reveal that the outcome or breakdown of these group processes, rather than the type or severity of repression encountered, holds the key to explaining why some individuals persist while others disengage following experiences of state repression.

By bridging prevailing theoretical divides in social movement research, the book illuminates how individual rationality is collectively constructed, mediated, and obscured by protest group culture. This insightful exploration provides valuable insights into the dynamics of resistance and the factors that contribute to its success or failure.

Weight: 274g
Dimension: 154 x 227 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978823730