Methods of Social Movement Research (review)

Methods of Social Movement Research is quite a comprehensive compendium of methodological approaches used by social movement researchers, edited by two well-known contributors to the field, Bert Klandermans and Suzanne Staggenborg. It includes discussions of the following methods as they are used in social movement studies: survey research, formal mathematical modeling, frame and discourse analysis, semistructured interviewing, theory-driven participant observation, the case study, network analysis, historical research, protest event analysis, macro-organizational analysis, and comparative political analysis. It also provides an overview of blending methods and developing theories in social movement research.

The reader of this book will be clearly apprised of the possible ways to conduct original research on social movements and political protests. The strategy of most chapters is to give an overview of the method discussed, provide illustrations of studies conducted with the method, present illustrative findings from such studies, indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the method, and show how the method can be triangulated with other methods of social movement research to generate even stronger evidence for the study. Thus a researcher contemplating a social movement investigation would be well advised to consult this book to see the approaches available to use in the investigation.

The book connects research methods and empirical findings to theoretical debates about social movements. Doug McAdam's historically oriented study of the development of civil rights protest is shown to dispute a tenet of resource mobilization theory, namely that external resources are needed to initiate protest. Likewise, Debra Minkoff, using Poisson regression analysis, tests theories regarding the founding of social movement organizations (SMOs). The regressions indicate that SMO founding rates will increase with Democratic control of the White House, supporting political opportunity theory. Yet the regressions also confirm the density-dependence hypothesis that "as the field becomes more dense, interorganizational competition . . . limits the ability of new groups to enter the population."

The one topic that could have been usefully added to the book is Internet research on social movements and protests. The book occasionally mentions Internet research. But an entire chapter on what constitutes Internet research, as well as how to do it — including the listing of relevant Web sites — would be quite helpful to the researcher beginning a study. This is because the Internet contains much information about specific social movements, many of which have their own Web sites — even though it is necessary to be cautious about interpreting what the movements say about themselves, their adversaries, and their accomplishments. Moreover, the study of Internet mobilization of social movements, such as the antiglobalization movement and the anti-war movement, will surely increase in importance as a central type of social movement research.

Can this book be used as a stand alone methods text for the social movement researcher? This is less certain. The various discussions are detailed, to be sure. But it is less clear if a researcher thinking of using any of the methods could read the relevant chapters and begin a study. That is, for all the general clarity of the chapters, the level of detail describing how to use the methods in a new study would probably not suffice. In contrast, for example, Earl Babbie's Practice of Social Research is both comprehensive of available research methods and presents sufficient detail — including detailed case studies — for the researcher to begin a new investigation.

Methods of Social Movement Research, however, does provide many specific references of completed studies that would provide sufficient details for many researchers to initiate a new investigation. In fact, for those deciding to use this book in social movement courses, a compilation of studies mentioned in the book would likely provide a solid basis for starting a new social movement investigation. In addition, the use of a general methods textbook like Babbie's would likewise be helpful in initiating a new study. The researcher who is already knowledgeable about the...