Overview

In thirteen succinct chapters, Buechler traces movement theories from the classical era of sociology to the most recent examples of transnational activism. He identifies the socio-historical context, central concepts, and guiding logic of diverse movement theories, with emphasis on:

Comparisons of Marx and Lenin; Weber and Michels; and Durkheim and LeBon

The Chicago School of the inter-war period

The political-sociological approaches of the 1950s

The varieties of strain and breakdown theories at the dawn of the 1960s

Major paradigm shifts caused by the cascade of 1960s social movements

Vivid examples of movements worldwide and coverage of all major theorists

Critiques, debates, and proposed syntheses dominating the turn of the 21st century

Recent trends (such as cyberactivism and transnational movements) and their theoretical implications