Explaining the Puzzle of Homeless Mobilization: An Examination of Differential Participation

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine participation in protests about homelessness by an unlikely set of participants-the homeless themselves. Through an analysis of data derived from 400 structured interviews with homeless individuals in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Tucson, the authors examine why and to what extent some homeless individuals, and not others, participate in movement-sponsored protest activities. In addition, the authors assess the degree to which the factors that affect participation in this population align with previous research on participation in social movements generally. They find that certain characteristics of the homeless population reduce the importance of social ties with other homeless individuals in the recruitment process and that, contrary to what much past work would lead one to expect, homeless individuals who are less biographically available are more likely to engage in protest activity. In addition, strain, which is often not a significant predictor of engagement in other populations, is an important predictor of differential participation among the homeless. This study highlights features of the homeless population that yield somewhat different correlates of participation than found in most movement participation studies and, in turn, cautions against presuming an overall model of participation that explains the engagement of all groups in the same way.

Hybrid Activism: Social Movement Mobilization in a Multimovement Environment

“…Social movement scholars have long sought to explain the determinants of social movement mobilization (see, for example, Corrigall-Brown, Snow, Smith, and Quist 2009;Gerhards and Rucht 1992;Gould 1991;Klandermans and Oegema 1987;Kriesi, Saris, and Wille 1993;McCarthy and Wolfson 1996;McCarthy and Zald 1977;Munson 2009;Robnett 1997;Schussman and Soule 2005;Snow, Zurcher, and Ekland-Olson 1980;Somma 2010;Viterna 2006;Zhao 2001). Early studies of mobilization concentrated on constructing explanations for the rise and fall of individual social movements as self-contained entities, such as the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and religious movements (Freeman 1973;Harrison 1959;McAdam 1982).…”

Experiencing Homelessness: A Review of Recent Literature

“…A third and final notable line of research has considered the experiences of the homeless within a different context – that of social movements and collective action. Researchers have challenged the view of the homeless as unlikely to mobilize, instead pointing to protest activities throughout the United States in the 1980s (Corrigall‐Brown et al. 2009; Snow et al.…”

“…2005; Wagner and Cohen 1991; Wright 1997). This work has identified the different factors that are correlated with involvement in protest activities among the homeless, such as deprivation (either in terms of a lack of access to basic needs, or deprivation as perceived relative to other members of society) and – particularly important for continued participation – a sense that collective action is effective in creating change (Corrigall‐Brown et al. 2009).…”

Who Protests in Greece? Mass Opposition to Austerity

“…This is not a protest movement of a middle-class educational elite that is active in their spare time, as 66 Cf. Corrigall-Brown et al 2009. most 'new social movements' in Western Europe have been in recent decades. This is a mass protest in which ordinary people of all educational backgrounds and ages take part.…”