· 2017· Book chapter
From Mobilization to Revolution
- 4,048citations
- 2017year
Short summary
Charles Tilly's seminal work defines 'mobilization' as the process by which a group transitions from passive individuals to active public participants, with 'demobilization' being the reverse. The paper distinguishes between offensive (responding to opportunities) and preparatory (anticipating future events) mobilization, highlighting the crucial role of government repression in controlling collective action.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Mobilization is defined as the process of a group becoming an active participant in public life from a passive state.
- Demobilization is identified as the reverse process of mobilization.
- Offensive mobilization occurs when a group pools resources in response to opportunities to realize its interests.
- Preparatory mobilization involves pooling resources in anticipation of future opportunities and threats.
- Governmental repression, including policing and surveillance, plays a key role in controlling collective action.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The word "mobilization" conveniently identifies the process by which a group goes from being a passive collection of individuals to an active participant in public life. Demobilization is the reverse process. Offensive mobilization is, however, often top-down. In the offensive case, a group pools resources in response to opportunities to realize its interests. Preparatory mobilization is no doubt the most top-down of all. In this variety, the group pools resources in anticipation of future opportunities and threats. Governmental repression is uniquely important because governments specialize in the control of mobilization and collective action: police for crowd control, troops to back them, spies and informers for infiltration, licensing to keep potential actors visible and tame. Contention for power links the mobilization model to the polity model. The word "socialism" itself originally represented the vision of a social order in which producers would control their own fates.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source., 2017 · DOI ↗
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Field: Sociology and Political Science
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences