Infighting and Insurrection

Ghaziani, Amin; Kretschmer, Kelsy

doi:10.1002/9781119168577.ch12

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…As Ghaziani (2008) emphasizes, there are potential "dividends of dissent," if groups can capitalize on disagreements about aims and strategy. While disagreements pose challenges, Ghaziani and Kretschmer (2018) contend that infighting does not automatically lead to splintering. Indeed, dissent may be potentially productive: some social movements capitalize on dissent to expand, rather than contract, the boundaries of their collective identity and build more diverse and expansive networks (Ghaziani, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be challenging, especially as movements are asked to negotiate differences over ideology (Benford, 1993), policy positions (Kretschmer, 2014), or particular strategies (Levitsky, 2007). These negotiations sometimes fail, leading to infighting, factions, schisms, and defections (Ghaziani & Kretschmer, 2018). At times, different groups or factions in a social movement differentiate themselves from each other to better compete for limited resources and members (McCarthy & Zald, 1977).…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fragile Political Coalitions: Negotiating Race and Class in the Opt-Out Movement

Wilson

Contreras

Hastings

2021

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context Recent movements to “opt out” of state assessments have brought together a broad and diverse group of activists. While many activists foreground concerns of equity and justice, opting out has been concentrated in affluent suburban communities. These differences highlight questions of power and privilege within the movement: in what ways is opting out more acceptable—and politically persuasive—because it has primarily been driven by affluent white communities? How has the opt-out movement incorporated—or elided—the voices, interests, and perspectives of communities of color? Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study To explore these questions, this study focuses on how opt-out activists describe the aims of their movement and how they negotiated tensions related to race, power, and privilege in education activism. How might we understand the potential coalitions and fault lines within the diverse opt-out movement? Research Design Drawing on the insights of critical discourse analysis (CDA), we analyze presentations and interactions from a national conference on opting out held in 2016. We focus on publicly accessible video recordings of major sessions (keynotes and panels) to describe how activists describe the aims, strategies, and potential compromises of the opt-out movement. We also draw on several secondary sources of data (social media, webinars, blog posts, and other publications from opt-out leaders) to add context to our analysis. Data Collection and Analysis We use concepts in social movement theory, including movement identity and “splintering,” to frame some emerging fissures among opt-out activists, particularly across lines of class, race, and power. We organize our findings into three interrelated themes, describing how activists framed and negotiated the aims of opting out, often across lines of race and class, and worked to build solidarity amid moments of dissent. Conclusions/Recommendations While politically successful in some respects, the anti-testing coalition remains fragile and divided, leaving its goals for equity-oriented reform uncertain. Certain longstanding issues (the inclusion of communities of color) and particular policy decisions (collaborating with local union and civil rights chapters) have contributed to fractures in the movement. However, activists may capitalize on dissent to expand the boundaries of their movement and build more diverse and expansive networks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragile Political Coalitions: Negotiating Race and Class in the Opt-Out Movement

Wilson

Contreras

Hastings

2021

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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“…Forging new membership ties, or engaging in boundary-spanning strategies, can be fundamental within a social movement as it has the potential to amass resources, recruit participants, and attract attention to their efforts (Bernstein, 2003;Gamson, 1995Gamson, , 1997Ghaziani, 2008;Ghaziani, Taylor, & Stone, 2016). Moreover, social movements are dynamic in that collective grievances, core identities, and goals can change over time (Ghaziani & Kretschmer, 2018;Vries, 2012). Interactions with other social groups can be largely influential in inspiring a transformation or shift of boundaries within a collective movement (Meyer & Whittier, 1994;Polletta, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The push for transgender inclusion: Exploring boundary spanning in the gay–straight alliance

Sutherland

2019

Sociology Compass

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Gay–straight alliance (or gender‐sexuality alliance; GSA) is a high‐school based club aimed at providing a safer environment for sexual and gender minority youth as well as their straight allies. Yet, as a club historically rooted in addressing sexual orientation‐related concerns, less attention has been given to understanding the changing relational dynamics of internal GSA activities aimed at expanding membership boundaries through the promotion of transgender inclusivity. I address this by bridging existing scholarship on GSAs, social movements, and the sociology of culture to showcase the impact boundary‐spanning strategies are having on GSA mobilization, in‐group solidarity, and external political and social activism. My findings reveal that membership boundary negotiations around gender diversity issues are shifting the social landscape of these clubs. Emerging barriers that impede boundary‐spanning efforts are also highlighted and discussed. More broadly, I generate new theoretical insights into how boundary spanning can shape political and social activism as well as offer promising future research directions in this area.

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Distinguishing but not defining: How ambivalence affects contemporary identity disclosures

Ghaziani

Holmes

2023

Theor Soc

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Infighting and Insurrection

Cited by 3 publications

References 66 publications

Fragile Political Coalitions: Negotiating Race and Class in the Opt-Out Movement

Fragile Political Coalitions: Negotiating Race and Class in the Opt-Out Movement

The push for transgender inclusion: Exploring boundary spanning in the gay–straight alliance

Distinguishing but not defining: How ambivalence affects contemporary identity disclosures

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